
GENERAL TAYLOR. 



A LIFE 



GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR; 



COJirKISING 



A NARRATIVE OF EVENTS 

CONNECTED 

WITH HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER, 

DERIVED FROM PUBLIC DOCUMENTS AND PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE; 

BY J. REESE' FRY; 

AND 

AUTHENTIC INCIDENTS OF HIS EARLY YEARS, 

FROM MATERIALS COLLECTED BY 

ROBERT T. CONRAD. 

WITH AN ORIGINAL AND ACCURATE PORTRAIT 

AND 

ELEVEN ELEGANT ILLUSTRATIONS 

Of the Eattles of Fort Harrison, Okee-cho-bee, Palo Alto, Resaca de 
la Palma, Monterey, and Buena Vista, ecc., fee. 

j t v ofCon> A 

DBSIONBD BY F. O. 0. DARXjp?. 4 J 

.1 r\ ■: • 

Q. 

PHILADELPHIA: 

GRIGG, ELLIOT & CO. 

No. 14 NORTH FOURTH STREET. 

1848. 
I 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1847, by 

GRIGG, ELLIOT & CO., 

in the clerk's office of the District Court of the United States for the 
Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



STEREOTYPED BY J. FAGAN. 
PRINTED BY T. K. AND P. G. COLLINS. 



(2) 









ADVEETISEMENT. 



Ir was expected, by the publishers of this volume, that, 
according *i their announcement, a Life of General Taylor, by 
R. T. Conrad, Esq., would be ready at the present time. To 
collect materials respecting the early years of General Taylor, 
Mr. Conrad visited Kentucky during the past summer, and 
was about to begin the work, when prevented by other engage- 
ments. His memoranda, however, were kindly placed at the 
disposal of the publishers, and have supplied interesting facts 
for the present volume, for the use of which they make this 
acknowledgment on their own behalf and that of the author. 

Philadelphia, October 10, 1847. 

0) 



PKEFACE. 



The time is not yet mature for a biography of General Tay- 
lor, which will do thorough justice to his character and military 
services. Only eighteen months have elapsed, since his ability 
as a commander began to be generally recognized. His varied 
and extraordinary achievements within that period have justly 
excited popular curiosity regarding his early life, as well as his 
late career. To meet, therefore, a want of the day, this volume 
has been prepared. No profession is made respecting it, ex- 
cept that pains have been taken to procure accurate information 
touching the circumstances of Taylor's family, the incidents of 
his youth, and his services in the Indian wars. The outline of 
his proceedings in Mexico is drawn partly from private letters, 
but chiefly from his own official correspondence. 

It may be proper to add, that, to make this volume accepta- 
ble to a class of present readers, it was thought expedient 
to' be diffuse in some instances where permanent favour would 
have suggested condensation, and to be brief in others, where 
the same reason would have demanded comprehensive state- 
ments or remarks. Still it is believed that the narrative is 
neither impeded by irrelevant matter, nor deficient in any es- 
sential particular. 

• (4) 



\« 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Taylor Family — Kentucky in 1775 — Birth of Zachary Taylor — 
Emigration of the Family to Kentucky — Hancock Taylor — Danger from 
the Indians — Zachary Taylor's Schoolmaster — His First Lesson in Tac- 
tics — His Prosperity as a Farmer — Peace with the Indians — Volunteers 
to oppose Burr's Designs — Commissioned a Lieutenant in U. S. Army 
— His Marriage — The Indians under Tecumseh — Harrison's Expedition 
against them — Taylor promoted to a Captaincy — War with England- 
Attack on Fort Harrison — Taylor's Defence of it — His First Despatch 
— Further Services — Major by Brevet 13 

CHAPTER II. 

Injustice to Army Officers — Taylor's Resignation and Reinstatement — Va- 
rious Services from 1816 to 1832 — Anecdote of his Habits — Promoted 
to a Colonelcy — Black Hawk War — Battle of Bad-Axe — Gen. Atkin- 
son's Despatch — Anecdote of Taylor — Services until 1836 29 

CHAPTER III. 

Destiny of the Indian Races— Causes of the Florida War — Osceola— 
Commencement of the Florida War — Troops in Florida — Massacre of 
Dade's Command — Volunteers in Florida — Taylor ordered to the Seat 
of War — Marches against the Indians — Difficulties of the March — Bat- 
tle of Okeechobee — Gallantry of the Troops — The Killed and Wounded 
— Taylor's Account of the Battle — Its Results — Taylor applauded by 
the Country — Promoted to a Brigadier Generalship — Appointed to the 
chief Command in Florida — Use of Blood-hounds — Authority for the 
Use — Reasons for the same — Indian Murders, several Accounts — Their 
Perfidy — Taylor vindicated — He retires from the Command in Florida. 37 
1* (5) 



VI CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IV. 
General Taylor in the South-west — Tender of a public Dinner — Mexico in 
1822 — Spirit of her Institutions — Injustice to Texas — Revolt of Texas 
— Annexation of Texas — Duty of a Soldier — Taylor ordered to defend 
Texas — Conditions of the Order — Invasion of Texas defined — Gen. 
Taylor embarks for Corpus Christi — Number of his Troops — Ordered to 
Matamoros — His Despatches from the date of embarking for Corpus 
Christi to the breaking up of the Camp at that point 68 

CHAPTER V. 

The March from Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande commenced — Face of 
the Country — Sufferings of the Troops — Mexican Demonstration — 
American Action — Point Isabel invested — The March resumed — En- 
campment on the Rio Grande — Conference rejected — Entrenchments 
commenced — Despatches of General Taylor — Ampudia's Magnanimity 
A Deserter shot — Fort Brown — Murder of Colonel Cross — Corre- 
spondence, Ampudia and Taylor — General Arista — Blockade of the Rio 
Grande — Correspondence on the Subject — Mexicans crossing the River 
— Capture of Thornton's Command — Mexican Exultation — Manifesto 
of Arista Point Isabel in Danger — Requisition for Volunteers — Cap- 
tain Walker's First Exploit — Resolution to relieve Point Isabel 87 H 

CHAPTER VI. 

Rejoicing in Matamoros — Arista, with his Forces, crosses the River — His 
Disappointment at Taylor's Escape — Mexican Narrative of both Move- 
ments — Ardour of the Mexicans — Terror of the Americans — Their Du- 
plicity and Treachery — Taylor's Ignominy — Bombardment of Fort 
Brown — Taylor's Instructions — May's and Walker's Mission — New 
Mexican Batteries — Their Fire not returned — Mexican Account of the 
Bombardment — Eternal Honour of Mexican Artillery-men — Barbarous 
Pleasure of the Americans — Their Cowardice and Stupidity — Mexican 

Triumph American Loss — Mexican Superiority — Continuation of the 

Bombardment — Death of'Major Brown — New Mexican Batteries — Cap- 
tain Hawkins summoned to Surrender — Arista's modest Letter — Haw- 
kins' presumptuous Answer — Want of Ammunition — Preparations for 
an Assault — Weariness of the Men in the Fort — Signals of Relief. 108 

CHAPTER VII. 
General Taylor leaves Point Isabel for Fort Brown — His Force — The 
March — Enemy reported — Rest before battle — Palo Alto — Enemy in 



CONTENTS. VH 

sight — Taylor's order of battle — Lieut. Blake's bold reconnoissance — 
Taylor's confidence — Arista's Force and order of battle — The Enemy's 
first Fire — The Answer and its Effect— Charge by the Lancers — Their 
repulse — Fall of Ringgold — The Prairie on fire— Charge on the Train 
— Duncan's Battery — May's gallantry — The last Charge — The Field 
won — The Loss — Taylor's first Despatch — His detailed account of the 
Action — Mention of Lieut. Blake — Of the Artillery — Of Lieut. Luther 
•r-Statement of Forces — Arista's Despatch — Misstatement of his Force — 
Explanations of Failure — False colouring — Acknowledgment of Loss — 
Remarks on the causes of the Victory 119 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Mexican Army retreating — Taylor's March resumed — Mexican Dead and 
Wounded — Skirmishes with the Enemy — Mexican Army formed — Its 
Position — La Resaca de la Palma — The Battle commenced — The Artil- 
lery — Infantry engaged — Close Quarters — The Enemy's Batteries — 
May ordered to charge them — Ridgely's Gallantry — May's furious Onset 
— Inge's and Sackett's Death — Batteries captured — La Vega a Prisoner 
— The Fifth Infantry's charge — Personal deeds The Enemy's bra- 
very — Officers Wounded and Killed — Arista's Camp taken — The Tam- 
pico Battalion — Rout of the Enemy — The Booty — The Loss — Tay- 
lor's first Despatch — His detailed Account — Encomiums on his Troops 
— Mistakes of Arista — Misery of routed Troops — Gen. Taylor's care of 
the Wounded — His return to Point Isabel — Congratulates his Troops 
— Mexican Commander's Manifesto — Remarks on causes of his Defeat 
— Inferiority of Officers — Authority cited — Self-devotion of American 

Officers — Examples — Anecdotes of Heroism — Ridgely — Page Payne 

— Ringgold — Richey — Woods and Hays — Augur and Cochrane — Bar- 
bour — May — Melton — Lincoln and Jordan — Belknap and Scott — Mc- 
intosh — Letter of a Witness 135 

CHAPTER IX. 

The 8th of May at Fort Brown — Anxiety of the Garrison News of 

Palo Alto — Bombardment on the 9th — Mexican Fugitives seen — Reck- 
lessness in their Panic — Disappointment and Suffering in Matamoros — 
The Wounded and Dead — Despatches from Taylor — Incidents of La 
Vega's Capture — Taylor's Courtesy to him — Taylor's return to the Rio 
Grande — Commodore Conner — Barita taken — Preparations to Bombard 
Matamoros — Armistice offered and refused — Arista's final Retreat — Oc- 
cupation of Matamoros — Despatch from General Taylor — Arista's report 
of his Retreat — Anecdote of Ampudia — Document found in Arista's 
Tent — Result of Taylor's Operations 160 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER X. 

War recognized by Congress — Men and Money voted — General Taylor 
embarrassed — Inadequate means of advancing — Letter to the Depart- 
ment — Difficulties and Wants explained — Further correspondence — Sug- 
gestions regarding his advance; — Letter from the Secretary of War — 
Taylor recommended to advance on Monterey — His Views on the Cam- 
paign requested — Continued Difficulties — Further despatches — Arrival ' 
of Volunteers — Causes of Inactivity explained — Minor Expeditions — 
More Troops — Letter from General Scott — News of Taylor's Victories 
reaches the United States — Popular Enthusiasm — Created Brigadier 
General by Brevet — President's Letter — Thanks voted by Louisiana 

Legislature — Deputation to Taylor — His Speech to the Committee 

Made a full Major General by Congress — Correspondence — Taylor's 
Views of future Operations — Camargo taken — Despatches 177 

CHAPTER XL 
Civil Dissensions of the Mexicans — Tyranny of Paredes — Popular Defec- 
tions — Conspirators apprehended — Liberty of the Press abolished — Un- 
wise Policy of Paredes — News of Arista's Defeat received — Sensation 
in the Capital — Money refused by the Clergy — Decline of Paredes 7 
authority — Movement in favour of Santa Anna — Civil War in Mexico- 
Blockade by the United States of Mexican Ports — Plans of the United 
States Government — Plans of General Taylor — Proclamation to the 
People of Mexico — Confidential Letter to Taylor — Taylor's Answer — 
Santa Anna proclaimed in Vera Cruz — Excitement in the Capital — 
Fall of Paredes — Santa Anna's return to Mexico — Government of de 
Salas — Santa Anna's triumphal entry into the Capital — His pledges to 
the Mexicans — Taylor's Arrangements complete for his Advance — His 
Difficulties explained — Enumeration of his Force — March of Worth's 
Division — Of Butler's and Twiggs' Divisions — Report of Forces against 
Monterey — Sufferings and Death of Volunteers — March of Worth's Di- 
vision towards Monterey 195 

CHAPTER XII. 
Enemy reinforced at Monterey — Taylor, with Twiggs' and Butler's Divi- 
sions, marches from Camargo — The March — Rest at Seralvo — Appear- 
once of the Country — Mexican Forces discovered — The Advance before 
Monterey fired upon — Encampment at Walnut Springs — Description of 
Monterey — Its Fortifications — Mexican Forces in it — Ampudia's Ad- 
dress — Taylor's Keconnoissance — His Plan of Assault — Worth's Expe- 
dition — His movement on tile 20th — Skirmish on the 21st — Occupa- 



CONTENTS. IX 

tion of the Saltillo Pass — Movements of Butler's Division—First Fort 
in the Eastern Suburbs carried — Terrible Fire of the Enemy's Bat- 
teries — Repulse of the Lancers — Two Forts on the Heights carried — 
Losses on the First Day — Dispositions for the Night 215 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Independencia carried — Sortie from the Palace — Enemy repulsed and Pa- 
lace taken — Operations on the Eastern Quarter — Progress towards the 
Heart of the Town — Worth's Progress on Opposite Side — Command 
of the Main Plaza — Flag of Truce — Suspension of the Attack — Tay- 
lor's Despatch — Correspondence with Ampudia and the Governor — Tay- 
lor's Detailed Report of the Siege! — Extract from Worth's Report — Com- 
ments on the Action — Conference between Ampudia and Taylor — Com- 
missioners on the Capitulation appointed — Proceedings of the Commis- 
B i on — Terms of Capitulation — Report of Killed and Wounded 232 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Occupation of the City by Worth's Division — Encampment of Butler's 
and Twiggs' Divisions — Consideration of the Terms of Capitulation- 
Implied Censure by Congress of the Terms — Defence of the same — Jef- 
ferson Davis' Views regarding the Capitulation — Taylor's Letter to the 
Adjutant General justifying it — Private Letter on the same Subject, and 
on his past Operations and future Plans — Concluding Remarks 263 

CHAPTER XV. 
Taylor's Force after the Capitulation of Monterey — Reflections on hia 
Course Advices from Washington — Instructions regarding Supplies- 
Regarding an Expedition against the Coast — Further Correspondence 
— Taylor's Replies — Opinions regarding his own future Operations — Re- 
garding the Force requisite to invest Vera Cruz — Assertion of his Rights 
as Commander — Answer to the Secretary respecting forced Supplies — 
General Wool's Entry into Monclova 274 

CHAPTER XVI. 
March of Worth's Division for Saltillo — Taylor's Instructions — His reasons 
for holding Saltillo — Opinion regarding the Expedition against Vera 
Cruz The Forces necessary — Taylor visits Saltillo — Protest of the Go- 
vernor — Relative position of the Divisions — Tampico occupied — Taylor 
sets out for Victoria with Twiggs' and Quitman's Brigades — Returns 
with the former — Concentration at Saltillo — Arrival of Wool's Division 
expected — Taylor marches again for Victoria with Twiggs' Division — 
Occupation of Victoria — Forces there — Government Plans against Vera 



X CONTENTS. 

Cruz — Letter from General Scott to General Taylor — Forces withdrawn 
from General Taylor — Address to his Troops — Loss of May's Rear-guard 
— Capture of Majors Borland, Gaines, and C. M. Clay — Affairs of 
Mexico — Activity of Santa Anna — His advance to San Luis — General 
Wool's Camp — Taytor's advance to Saltillo — Camp at Agua Nueva — 
At Buena Vista — Enumeration of Santa Anna's Forces — of Taylor's 
Forces 289 

CHAPTER XVII. tt 

Taylor's Position at Buena Vista — Washington's Birth-day — Summons 
of Santa Anna to Taylor to Surrender — The Reply — Taylor's Detailed 
Report of the Battle — His order of Battle on the 22d — Skirmishes — 
Minon's Cavalry in the Rear — Battle on the 23d — Attack of the Enemy 
on the Left and Centre — Partial success of the Attack — Service of the 
Artillery — Repulse of the Enemy — Ruse of Santa Anna — Death of Yell 
and Vaughan — Rei*ewed Attacks of the Enemy — Bragg's Battery — The 
Day saved — Death of Hardin, McKee, Lincoln, and Clay — Incidents 
after the Battle — Comparative Losses — General Wool and other Officers 
and Corps distinguished — Official Return of Loss — Private Letter to 
General Butler — Taylor's Views of the Battle — Congratulatory Orders 

Letters to Henry Clay and Governor Lincoln — Rejoicings in the 

United States — Mr. Crittenden — Repulse of Urrea and Romaro by Ma- 
jor Giddings Taylor's pursuit of them — Return to his Head-quarters 

Public Estimation of Taylor— The Presidency — His Personal Views 

as a Candidate — Concluding Remarks on his Character 299 



A F 



SEAT OF GENERAL TAYLOR'S OPERATIONS 



SX£ zm ^S 02 CS3 C£> 




(To face page 13.) 




taylor's first lesson ln the art of war. 

To face page 13. 



LIFE 

OF 

GENERAL TAYLOR. 

CHAPTER I. 

The Taylor Family — Kentucky in 1775 — Birth of Zachary Taylor — Emigration 
of the Family to Kentucky — Hancock Taylor — Danger from the Indians — 
Zachary Taylor's Schoolmaster — His First Lesson in Tactics — His Prosperity 
as a Farmer — Peace with the Indians — Volunteers to oppose Burr's Designs 
— Commissioned a Lieutenant in U. S. Army — His Marriage — The Indians 
under Tecumseh — Harrison's Expedition against them — Taylor promoted to 
a Captaincy — War with England — Attack on Fort Harrison — Taylor's De- 
fence of it — His First Despatch — Further Services — Major by Brevet. 

The republican principles and customs of our country hap- 
pily forbid personal distinction founded merely upon ancestral 
rank. We incline rather to celebrate a name first made illus- 
trious in our own day, than one which borrows its light from 
the glory of other generations. Yet we fail not in due re- 
spect for the character which worthily sustains inherited supe- 
riority. In this spirit, we commence a biography of General 
Taylor, by citing the honourable families whose blood is 
mingled in his veins. Original obscurity or early trials could 
not have shadowed his genius or repressed his energies. But 
springing from a stock, to be worthy of which were a singular 
merit, he has proved himself its noblest scion, and, amid a 
halo of kindred names, his own has suddenly risen to be the 
highest and brightest. 

The family of the Virginia Taylors is allied to the oldest 
and most distinguished of that state. Its first representatives 
emigrated from England, and settled in the south-eastern part 
of the colony, towards the close of the seventeenth century. 

2 (13) 



14 THE TAYLOR FAMILY. 

In the different branches of it are found the Lees, the Bar- 
bours, the Madisons, the Conways, the Pendletons, the Hunts, 
the Taliaferros, the Gaineses, and others, whose public ser- 
vices and virtues, during a hundred years, are commemo- 
rated in our colonial and national history. 

Richard Taylor, the father of General Zachary Taylor, was 
born in Virginia, on the 22d day of March, 1744. He appears 
to have received a plain but solid education, and evinced in 
his boyhood the daring and adventurous spirit, which led him 
to seek a home and independence in the wilderness of the 
Mississippi valley. While yet at school, he entered into a 
compact, with some of his mates, to visit Kentucky when they 
should grow up. He, at least, adhered to his purpose. When 
stili very young, he set out, and reached " the dark and bloody 
ground," on which, at that time, the dwelling of a civilized 
man had not been reared. His survey of the country ex- 
tended to the Mississippi, down which he proceeded as far as 
Natchez. From that point, his face was then turned home- 
ward ; and, without guide or companion, through pathless 
woods, over rivers and mountains, fearless alike of the seasons, 
of savages, or of any peril of his long and lonely way, he 
walked back to his father's house in Virginia. All that he had 
seen served but to confirm, in his imagination, the charms 
of border life ; and, although he continued to reside many 
years in Virginia, he subsequently fulfilled his desire of making 
his home in the great west. 

On the 20th of August, 1779, when thirty-five years old, he 
was married to Sarah Strother, a young lady, of good family, 
then in her twentieth year. At this time, he held a colonel's 
commission in the Virginia Line, and served with zeal and 
honour through the revolutionary war. 

Five sons and three daughters were the offspring of this mar- 
riage, — the first child born in 1781. Zachary Taylor, the sub- 
ject of this memoir, the third son of Colonel Richard Taylor, 
was born in Orange county, Virginia, on the twenty-fourth day 
of November, 1784. In the following summer, his father ful- 
filled his lone-cherished intention of piaWaiirtg to Kentucky. 



KENTUCKY PIONEERS. 15 

Only ten years before, the first habitation of a white man had 
been erected in the vast region between the western boundary 
of Virginia and the Mississippi. Within this period, a few set- 
tlements had been made, insufficient, however, from their 
feebleness and isolated positions, to secure to the emigrant 
, adequate protection from the Indians, much less to afford him 
the most usual comforts of civilized life. Peril and privation, 
to which only superior courage and fortitude were equal, were 
the lot of all who sought a home in the primitive woods, and 
in the hunting-grounds of hostile savages. 

In the emigration of Colonel Richard Taylor to this country, 
he had- been preceded by his brother Hancock, a brave and 
intelligent man, who fell a sacrifice in the enterprise of sur- 
veying parts of the Ohio valley. He is said to have selected, 
for his farm, the site of the city of Louisville. He is thus 
mentioned in Marshall's History of Kentucky. 

" After Douglass, (a surveyor, who died on the Kentucky 
river, while engaged in his profession,) and pursued by a fate 
more malignant, was Hancock Taylor ; a surveyor also, and a 
man of more enterprise. He, too, landed at the falls of the 
Ohio, and, after making a number of surveys, by virtue of mili- 
tary warrants, was killed by the Indians, who made a sudden 
onset before he was apprized of danger. Thus fell an intelli- 
gent and worthy man. One of his attendants had the pre- 
caution to secure and bring off' his book of field notes, which 
was rendered effectual [adopted as authority,] by an act of the 
legislature." 

Under the guidance of such men, and under such circum- 
stances for the development of his bold spirit and active intel- 
lect, Zachary Taylor passed his infant years. The hardships 
and dangers of border life were to him as familiar as ease and 
security to the child of metropolitan luxury. His father had 
settled in Jefferson county, about two miles from the Ohio 
river, and five miles from Louisville, where he acquired a 
large estate by his industry and thrift, and honourable con- 
sideration by his intelligence, bravery, and patriotism. As 
Louisville rose into importance, his own fortune and local dis- 



16 . Taylor's schoolmaster. 

tinction increased. He received from President Washington 
a commission as collector of that port, New Orleans being then 
in possession of the Spaniards. He had been a personal friend 
of Washington, prior to his emigration from Virginia, and his 
worth was, therefore, familiar to that great man, from early 
knowledge as well as later report. 

One of the chief cares of Colonel Taylor was the education 
of his children. During the first ten or fifteen years of his 
residence in Kentucky, the country being sparsely settled, and 
exposed to Indian enemies, this purpose could be accomplished 
only in a very partial degree. A school, for the rudiments of 
English merely, was established in his neighbourhood by 
Elisha Ayres, a native of Connecticut, who afterwards returned 
to that state, and now resides, a venerable gentleman of four- 
score years, at Preston, in the vicinity of Norwich. A letter 
from him, written during the past summer to the author of this 
volume, in answ r er to one of inquiry concerning the school-boy 
days of General Taylor, explains satisfactorily the circum- 
stances in which they were passed, and exhibits the character 
of our hero, at that time, in a light worthy of his mature re- 
putation. 

In the language of Mr. Ayres, "the Kentuckians were then 
a warlike and chivalrous people, and they were often engaged 
in offensive or defensive skirmishes with the Indians. A 
number were known to be in the woods not far distant from 
the school-house, and, on one occasion, one of them was shot, 
wearing a British uniform. In their hostility to the Americans, 
they were encouraged and sustained by the British authorities 
on the Northern frontier. There was a Mr. Whetsel, in the 
neighbourhood of the school, who, having been once chased by 
three or four Indians, loaded his rifle while running, and suc- 
cessively shot them all. This exploit made Whetsel famous, 
and he became the instructor of the young men and boys in 
the neighbourhood, in his mode of maintaining a running fire. 
Among his pupils, it is believed, was yojng Zachary." It 
may be remarked, upon this recital of » young Zachary's" 
first training in the art of war, that he has apparently forgotten 



TAYLOR A FARMER. 17 

the " running" lessons, although, jn other respects, he ab m- 
dantly justifies the tuition of the valiant Whetsel. Among the 
anecdotes current in Kentucky respecting his childhood, is 
one of his watching at home with his brother, and casting 
bullets, while his father was out engaged with the Indians. 
Such, in fact, was the constant necessity of guarding against 
these cunning and implacable foes, that the physician of the 
neighbourhood habitually rode with pistols at his saddlebows. 

All attempts to placate or subdue the Indians had failed, 
prior to the date of Wayne's decisive victory over them. In 
1795, the year following that important achievement, a general 
peace was concluded. From that period, the population of 
Kentucky increased rapidly, and civilized labour and enter- 
prise began to enjoy their due reward. Zachary Taylor \vas 
reared by his father to his own profession — that of a farmer ; 
and, until his majority, was practically engaged in it, working 
with his own hands, and laying the foundation of the robust 
health, hardy habits, and persevering industry, which have 
borne the test of various climate, rude fare, and severe duty, 
during a military life of more than thirty years. The service 
very early engaged his affections and excited his ambition. 
When Aaron Burr's movements in the west began to arouse 
suspicion, the patriotic young men of Kentucky formed volun- 
teer companies, to oppose his designs by arms, if occasion 
should demand such a resort. Zachary Taylor, and one or 
more of his brothers, were enrolled in a troop raised for this 
purpose. 

After the alarm had subsided, he returned to his farm, which 
he continued to cultivate successfully, until the death of his 
brother, Lieutenant Taylor. The latter held a commission in 
the United States army, and, dying in the service, an oppor- 
tunity was afforded Zachary of obtaining the vacancy. Through 
the influence of his relative, James Madison, of his uncle, 
Major Edmund Taylor, and of his father, this object was ac- 
complished ; and, on the 3d of May, 1808, he received his 
commission as first lieutenant in the seventh regiment of United 
States Infantry. At this time, he was already in the enjoyment 



18 WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 

of a fortune, which, although moderate, was more than suffi- 
cient for his wants. But the activity of his mind, his aspira- 
tions for a larger sphere of employment, and, it may be, for 
the distinction of an officer in the national service, were supe- 
rior to the inclination for the quiet and profitable occupation of 
landed proprietor. His first experience in his new vocation 
had nearly proved fatal. He was ordered to report himself to 
General Wilkinson in New Orleans ; and, being taken there 
with the yellow fever, was obliged to return home to recruit 
his health. He appears to have employed his time sedulously 
in the study of his profession, as we find him, three years from 
this time, fulfilling with honour a dangerous and important 
post. 

The aggressive policy of England had been meanwhile pre- 
paring the public mind for the declaration of war. The emis- 
saries of her government, employed among the Indian tribes 
north of the Ohio, had incited anew their hostility to the Ame- 
rican settlers, who were kept in constant apprehension of an 
attack. Under these circumstances, it was deemed advisable 
by the government to make the first demonstration, and 
General Harrison, then Governor of the North-west Territory, 
was ordered to march a force into the Indian country. In the 
progress of this expedition he erected on the Wabash River, 
in Indiana, a block-house and stockade, which received the 
name of Fort Harrison. Lieutenant Taylor took part in this 
duty, and was afterwards kept actively engaged in watching 
the Indians and thwarting their adverse movements. His mar- 
riage had taken place in 1810, and he left at home a young 
wife and child to join his command. Communications with 
his family were difficult and infrequent, — at times so long in- 
terrupted that he was supposed to have fallen a victim to the 
perilous enterprise in which he was employed. His services 
were appreciated by President Madison, who rewarded them 
by a captain's commission, in the beginning of the year 1S12. 
He was then placed in command of Fort Harrison, and soon 
afterwards Congress declared war against Great Britain. From 
this period may be dated his first actual encounter with an 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 19 

enemy. Upon the character of this enemy a few words may 
be proper in this place. 

During the long struggle between the French and English 
for the ascendancy in the Mississippi valley, the Indians had 
been anxiously courted by both powers. While they were 
supplied with European arms, and partially instructed in mili- 
tary science by European officers, no effort appears to have 
been made to soften their ferocity, or to mitigate the barbarous 
customs which regarded war less as an act of national policy, 
than an opportunity of indulging all the worst of individual 
passions. If lack of discipline in their armies made them less 
formidable to an equal number of our own troops, their savage 
disregard of the rights of prisoners, made them terrible to an 
inferior force. At the time that Captain Taylor was first 
brought into conflict with the tribes in the region of Fort Har- 
rison, they had been particularly prepared for daring adven- 
tures by the encouragement of two chiefs, whose talents would 
have honoured far nobler followers. These were Tecumseh, 
and his brother Olliwachica, — better known as the Prophet. 
For several years it had been the policy and ambition of these 
men to inflame the Indians of the North-western Territory 
with fresh animosity against their white neighbours. Both 
leaders added to the qualities of courage, fortitude, and perse- 
verance, consummate knowledge of the arts by whicl. the 
savage mind is controlled ; and they succeeded in inspiring 
their inferiors with a religious abhorrence of the whites, more 
effectual for their ends, than the national jealousy excited by 
the encroachments of the latter upon their ancient hunting- 
grounds. At no previous period, therefore, was the spirit of 
the Indians so fully aroused to the duty — such it was in their view 
— of exterminating our people, as when they resolved to attack 
Fort Harrison. 

Three months after war with England had been formally 
declared, they were banded for this purpose. Captain Taylor 
had some intimations of it, which were confirmed on the 3d 
of September, by the report of guns in the vicinity of the fort, 
where two young men were at work in the fields. On the 



20 NIGHT ATTACK BY INDIANS. 

4th their bodies were discovered by a party sent out in search 
of them, — the scalped heads bearing too apparent proof of In- 
dian hands. This incident added to the vigilance of Captain 
Taylor, and he made every effort for defence compatible with 
his limited means. The whole force under his command 
was about fifty men, of whom about two-thirds were invalids. 
He himself was just recovering from a fever. The Indians 
were aware of his weakness, but still preferred the exercise, in 
some degree, of their native cunning, to the hazard of an open 
attack. For this purpose a deputation of the Prophet's party 
came to the fort on the evening of the 4th, bearing a white 
flag, and affecting peaceable intentions. Captain Taylor was 
not deceived by this attempt to lessen his caution. He in- 
spected the arms of the men, served out 16 rounds of car- 
tridges to each, and made other dispositions of his meagre re- 
sources to guard against surprise and sustain an assault. His 
force was so small that a sufficient number of sentinels could 
not be posted to protect the whole extent of the outworks, but 
the officer of the guard was ordered to make the tour of the 
inside through the night. 

With these precautions the commander, and that portion of 
his little band not on the watch, retired to rest. But an hour 
before midnight they were aroused by the report of a musket. 
Taylor sprang up from his brief sleep, and found his savage 
enemies upon him. On their approach, the sentinels had pre- 
cipitately retired within the house, and it was discovered that 
the lower building was already fired by the Indians. The sit- 
uation of the garrison was now one of extreme peril, the alter- 
native of death by fire or savage arms appearing imminent. 
The young captain, however, maintained his composure, and 
while he directed one party to carry buckets of water to extin- 
guish the flames, encouraged another, in their efforts to repel the 
assailants. It chanced that the fire was first communicated to 
the store-room, which contained a quantity of whiskey. This 
was soon in a blaze, which reached the roof and defied every 
effort to suppress it. Meanwhile a host of savages, who, under 
cover of a very dark night, had previously approached close 



THE INDIANS REPULSED. £1 

to the house, maintained the attack, yelling furiously in antici- 
pation of their triumph, which it seemed almost impossible to 
avert. But Taylor, not despairing even in this emergency, 
ordered the roofs of a portion of the buildings to be torn off, 
and by keeping that which remained continually wet, suc- 
ceeded in restricting the fire to the apartments where it 
originated. 

Animated by their leader, the men, who at first shrank from 
the unequal contest, kept up a steady discharge of musketry 
upon the assailants, who, during seven hours, abated no effort 
to carry the fort. In this protracted attack, only three of the 
garrison were killed and three wounded, while it was apparent 
that the Indians suffered severely from their exposed position. 
At six o'clock, on the morning of the 5th, dispirited by their 
loss, and abandoning the hope of wearying resistance at once 
so resolute and effective, they retired from the spot, after de- 
stroying all the provisions of the post, and killing or driving 
off the horses and cattle. 

The account of this affair, given to General Harrison, in a 
letter dated the 10th of September, 1812, being the first 
despatch from Taylor's pen, is appropriately inserted in this 
place. It has the unaffected spirit, if not the severe style, 
of his more mature productions. The following is an 
extract : — 

« On Thursday evening, 3d instant, after retreat beating, 
four guns were heard to fire in the direction where two young 
men, (citizens who resided here,) were making hay, about four 
hundred yards distant from the fort. I was immediately im- 
pressed with an idea that they were killed by the Indians, as 
the Miamies or Weas had that day informed me that the Pro- 
phet's party would soon be here for the purpose of commencing 
hostilities ; and that they had been directed to leave this place, 
which they were about to do. I did not think it prudent to 
send out at that late hour of the night, to see what had become 
of them, and their not coming convinced me that I was right 
in my conjecture. I waited until eight o'clock next morning, 
when I sent out a corporal with a small party to find them, if 



|J| C A T T . T A V L Uli'« F I li ti T L> E S V A T C H . 

it could be done without running too much risk of being drawn 
into an ambuscade. He soon sent back to inform me, that he 
had found them both killed, and wished to know my further 
orders : I sent the cart and oxen, had them brought in and 
buried. They had been shot with two balls, scalped, and cut 
in the most shocking manner. Late in the evening of the 4th 
instant, old Joseph Lenar, and between thirty and forty In- 
dians, arrived from the Prophet's town, with a white flag; 
among whom were about ten women, and the men were com- 
posed of chiefs of the different tribes that compose the Pro- 
phet's party. 

"A Shawnee man that spoke good English, informed me 
that old Lenar intended to speak to me next morning, and try 
to get something to eat. After retreat beating, I examined 
the men's arms, and found them all in good order, and com- 
pleted their cartridges to sixteen rounds per man. As I had 
not been able to mount a guard of more than six privates, and 
two non-commissioned officers for some time past, and some- 
times p^art of them every other day, from the unhealthiness of 
the company, I had not conceived my force adequate to the 
defence of this post, should it be vigorously attacked, for 
some time past. As I had just recovered from a very severe 
attack of the fever, I was not able to be up much through the 
night. 

" After tattoo, I cautioned the guard to be vigilant, and 
ordered one of the non-commissioned officers, as the sentinel 
could not see every part of the garrison, to walk around on 
the inside during the night, to prevent the Indians taking any 
advantage of us, provided they had any intention of attacking 
us. About eleven o'clock, I was awakened by the firing of 
one of the sentinels ; I sprung up, ran out, and ordered the 
men to their posts, when my orderly sergeant (who had charge 
of the upper block-house) called out that the Indians had fired 
the lower block-house, which contained the property of the 
contractors, which was deposited in the lower part, (the upper 
part having been assigned to a corporal and ten privates as an 
alarm post.) The guns had begun to fire pretty smartly from 



THE FORT ON FIRE. 23 

both sides, I directed the buckets to be got ready, and water 
brought from the well, and the fire extinguished immediately, 
as it was perceivable at that time ; but from debility, or some 
other cause, the men were very slow in executing my orders ; 
the word fire, appeared to throw the whole of them into con- 
fusion ; and by the time they had got the water, and broken 
open the door, the fire had unfortunately communicated to a 
quantity of whiskey, (the stock having licked several holes 
through the lower part of the building, after the salt that was 
stored there, through which they had introduced the fire, 
without being discovered, as the night was very dark,) and in 
spite of every exertion we could make use of, in less than a 
minute it ascended to the roof, and baffled every effort we 
could make to extinguish it. 

"As that block-house adjoined the barracks that made part 
of the fortifications, most of the men immediately gave them- 
selves up for lost, and I had the greatest difficulty in getting 
my orders executed ; and, sir — what from the raging of the 
fire — the yelling and howling of several hundred Indians — the 
cries of nine women and children (a part soldiers' and a part 
citizens' wives, who had taken shelter in the fort) — and a de- 
sponding of so many of the men, which was worse than all — I 
can assure you that my feelings were very unpleasant ; and, 
indeed, there were not more than ten or fifteen men able to do 
anything at all, the others being sick or convalescent ; and to 
add to our other misfortunes, two of our stoutest men jumped 
the pickets and left. But my presence of mind did not for a 
moment forsake me. I saw by throwing off part of the roof 
that joined the block-house that was on fire, and keeping the. 
end perfectly wet, the whole row of buildings might be saved, 
and leave only an entrance of eighteen or twenty feet for the 
Indians to enter, after the house was consumed; and that a 
temporary breast- work might be formed to prevent their enter- 
ing even there. I convinced the men that this could be ac- 
complished, and it appeared to inspire them with new life ; and 
never did men act with more firmness or desperation. Those 



24 THE INDIANS BAFFLED. 

that were able (while others kept up a constant fire from the up- 
per block-house and the two bastions) mounted the roofs of the 
houses, with Doctor Clark at their head, (who acted with the 
greatest firmness and presence of mind, the whole time the attack 
lasted, which was seven hours,) under a shower of bullets, and 
in less than a moment threw off as much of the roof as was ne- 
cessary. This was done, with one man killed, and two 
wounded, and I am in hopes neither of them dangerously. 
The man that was killed was a little deranged, and did not 
get off of the house as soon as directed, or he would not have 
been hurt ; and although the barracks were several times in a 
blaze, and an immense quantity of fire against them, the men 
used such exertion, that they kept it under ; and, before day, 
raised a temporary breast-work as high as a man's head. 
Although the Indians continued to pour in a heavy fire of ball, 
and an innumerable quantity of arrows, during the whole time 
the attack lasted, in every part of the parade, I had but one 
other man killed — nor any other wounded inside the fort — and 
he lost his life by being too anxious ; he got into one of the 
gallies in the bastions, and fired over the pickets, and called 
out to his comrades that he had killed an Indian, and neglect- 
ing to stoop down in an instant, he was shot. 
| " One of the men that jumped the pickets, returned an hour 
before day, and running up towards the gate, begged for 
God's sake for it to be opened. I suspected it to be a strata- 
gem of the Indians to get in, as I did not recollect the voice ; 
I directed the men in the bastion where I happened to be to 
shoot him, let him be who he would, and one of them fired at 
him, but fortunately he ran up the other bastion, where they 
knew his voice, and Doctor Clark directed him to lie close to 
the pickets, behind an empty barrel that happened to be there, 
and at daylight I had him let in. His arm was broken in a 
most shocking manner, which he says was done by the In- 
dians, which I suppose was the cause of his returning. I think 
it probable that he will not recover. The other they caught 
about one hundred and thirty yards from the garrison, and 



THEFORTSAVED. 25 

cut him all to pieces. After keeping up a constant fire until 
about six o'clock the next morning, which we began to return 
with some effect, after daylight they removed out of reach of 
our guns. A party of them drove up the horses that belonged 
to the citizens here, and as they could not catch them very 
readily, shot the whole of them in our sight, as well as a num- 
ber of their hogs. They drove off the whole of the cattle. 
w r hich amounted to sixty-five head, as well as the public oxen. 

I had the vacancy filled up before night (which was made 
by the burning of the block-house) with a strong row of 
pickets, which I got by pulling down the guard-house. We 
lost the whole of our provisions, but must make out to live 
upon green corn, until we can get a supply, which I am in 
hopes will not be long. I believe the whole of the Miamies 
or Weas were among the Prophet's party, as one chief gave 
his orders in that language, which resembled Stone Eater's 
voice, and I believe Negro Legs was there likewise. A 
Frenchman here understands their different languages ; and 
several of the Miamies or Weas that have been frequently 
here were recognised by the Frenchman and soldiers next 
morning. 

" The Indians suffered smartly, but. were so numerous as to 
take off all that were shot. They continued with us until the 
next morning, but made no further attempt on the fort, nor 
have we seen anything more of them since. I have delayed 
informing you of my situation, as I did not like to weaken the 
garrison, and I looked for some person from Vincennes, and 
none of my men were acquainted with the woods, and there- 
fore I would either have to take the road or river, which I was 
fearful was guarded by small parties of Indians, who would 
not dare attack a company of rangers that was on a scout. 
But being disappointed, I have at length determined to send a 
couple of my men by water, and am in hopes they will arrive 
safe. I think it would be best to send the provisions under a 
pretty strong escort, as the Indians may attempt to prevent 
their coming. If you carry on an expedition against the Pro- 
phet this fall, you ought to be well provided with everything, 
3 



26 HONOR OF THE DEFENCE. 

as you may calculate on having every inch of ground disputed, 
that they can defend with advantage." 

Such is the modest account which Taylor gave of an 
achievement, which, however insignificant compared with the 
'operations of large armies, required the highest degree of phy- 
sical courage, and the heroic firmness which imparts its quality 
to other spirits. In the open plain and in the broad sunlight, 
— in the grand movements of thousands of serried troops, and 
the steady glitter of their arms — in the cheering peal of trum- 
pet and drum, and the waving of bright banners — in all this 
there is something to awaken courage in the most sluggish 
heart, and to prove at once to the warrior the honour of tri- 
umph, of wounds or of death, in a cause which brings hosts 
into conflict. But far stronger is the nerve, far sterner the 
purpose, which while the howl of infuriate barbarians arouses 
the midnight sleeper, can sustain him in the terrible moment 
when the flames, raging around his shelter, threaten to drive 
him into the less fortunate embrace of his merciless enemies. 
It was in such a scene as this, his first experience in warfare, 
that Taylor evinced the calmness, the energy, the hope against 
mighty odds, which in a later and larger field of action inspired 
one of his followers to exclaim, as if he were uttering a moral 
axiom, " Taylor never surrenders!" At Fort Harrison, four 
hundred savages fell suddenly upon his petty band, less than a 
twentieth their number, and after a fierce affray of seven hours, 
left the field discomfited. With such a beginning of his glo- 
rious career, should the sequel of Buena Vista be regarded 
with surprise ? 

The failure of their enterprise against Fort Harrison morti- 
fied and disheartened the Indians, and they abandoned for the 
time any further attempts against it. The garrison, however, 
was ignorant of their feelings or intentions, and as a renewal 
of the attack was reasonably apprehended, its vigilance was 
not abated. The despatch cited above was entrusted to two 
men, who attempted to descend the river to Vincennes, out 
the Indians being on the alert, and keeping up fires on the 
banks through the night, obliged the bearers to return. In 



THE GARRISON RELIEVED. 27 

this emergency, Captain Taylor again addressed Governor 
Harrison, and sent his messengers by land. These were suc- 
cessful. The letter was in these terms : 

" I wrote you on the 10th instant, giving you an account 
of the attack on this place, as well as my situation, which ac- 
count I attempted to send by water, but the two men whom I 
despatched in a canoe after night, found the river so well 
guarded, that they were obliged to return. The Indians had 
built a fire on the bank of the river, a short distance below the 
garrison, which gave them an opportunity of seeing any craft 
that might attempt to pass, and were waiting with a canoe 
ready to intercept it. I expect the fort, as well as the road to 
Vincennes, is as well or better watched than the river. But 
my situation compels me to make one other attempt by land, 
and my orderly sergeant, with one other man, sets out to-night, 
with strict orders to avoid the road in the daytime, and depend 
entirely on the woods, although neither of them has ever been 
to Vincennes by land, nor do they know anything of the coun- 
try ; but I am in hopes they will reach you in safety. I send 
them with great reluctance from their ignorance of the woods. 
I think it very probable there is a large party of Indians way- 
laying the road 'between this and Vincennes, likely about the 
Narrows, for the purpose of intercepting any party that may be 
coming to this place, as the cattle they got here will supply 
them plentifully with provisions for some time to come." 

Immediately on the receipt of this communication, a large 
force, under the command of General Hopkins, was sent to 
the relief of the garrison, then reduced to the extremest need, 
by sickness, fatigue, and the loss of provisions. 

The conduct of Taylor at Fort Harrison was not overlooked 
by his superior officers, by the public-, or by the government. 
General Hopkins, in a letter to the Governor of Kentucky, said 
of him: — "The firm and almost unparalleled defence of Fort 
Harrison by Captain Zachary Taylor, has raised for him a 
fabric of character not to be effaced by eulogy." The singu- 
lar force and refinement of this commendation are as honour- 
able to the writer as to the subject of it. An ardent response 



28 TAYLOR'S HONOURS AND PROMOTION. 

to the sentiment was'given by the whole country, and the Pre- 
sident afforded a more satisfactory proof of its justice, by con- 
ferring upon Taylor the rank of Major by brevet — the oldest 
instance in the service of this species of promotion. 

Pending the arrival of Hopkins' command at Fort Harrison, 
the Indians continued their depredations upon the peaceful 
inhabitants of the neighbourhood, destroying their houses and 
farms, and carrying on the war in their usual relentless mode, 
irrespective of age or sex in the objects of their attacks. De- 
cisive measures were necessary to arrest these atrocities, and 
an expedition was accordingly planned by General Hopkins 
against the Indian villages in the Peoria country. The march 
commenced in the middle of October, but was suddenly ended 
by the insubordination of the volunteers composing the force. 
This spirit was partially manifest on the fourth day, but on the 
fifth it was beyond control. The Indians had set fire to the 
prairie-grass, and a violent wind drove the flames in the direc- 
tion of the camp, which was saved with difficulty. 
| Discontent ripened from this cause into alarm. At a coun. 
cil of officers, convened by General Hopkins, he offered to pro- 
ceed on the expedition, if followed by only five hundred men. 
But the voices of all the volunteers were against him, and their 
steps were accordingly retraced. The enterprise, however, 
was not altogether fruitless. The Indians, alarmed by the ap- 
proach of so large a force, collected their warriors to oppose 
it, leaving their villages unprotected. In this condition, they 
were attacked by a detachment under Colonel Russell, and 
destroyed. In the following month, General Hopkins under- 
took a second expedition, directed against the Prophet's and 
Winnebago Town, in which Major Taylor took part, and re- 
ceived the official commendations of the general. Several 
skirmishes occurred, in some of which our troops suffered se- 
verely. They succeeded in achieving their main objects, de- 
vastating the enemy's country, and destroying their settlements. 
The winter forced both parties into a cessation of active hos- 
tilities. From this time, to the close of the war with Great 
Britain, Major Taylor was engaged in the same vicinity, ac- 



INJUSTICE TO TAYLOR. 29 

complishing the purposes of the government with unremitting 
vigilance. No further opportunity occurred of signalizing his 
special talents ; but he earned with others the distinction of 
reducing the Indians, for the time, to terms of peace, and of 
establishing among the white settlers security from their 
incursions. 



CHAPTER II. 

Injustice to Army Officers — Taylor's Resignation and Reinstatement — Various 
Services from 1816 to 1832 — Anecdote of his Habits — Promoted to a 
Colonelcy — Black Hawk War — Battle of Bad-Axe — Gen. Atkinson's De- 
spatch — Anecdote of Taylor — Services until 1836. 

The restoration of peace was made the occasion by govern- 
ment of signal injustice to many officers of the army. Promo- 
tions earned by good service during the war were nullified 
when its exigencies ceased. Among the victims of this policy 
was Major Taylor, — certainly one of the last who should have 
been selected for a blow so unworthy. He was reduced to 
the rank of captain, and deprived alike of the reward and the 
honour earned by extraordinary talent and devotion to duty. 
Although his modesty — so well illustrated in later years — 
would at any time have shrunk from claiming preferment, yet 
his self-respect forbade submission to an indignity, implying 
the absence of common desert. With this feeling he resolved 
to quit a service, in which fidelity seemed to be regarded only 
in emergencies, and forgotten when no longer required. He 
accordingly resigned his commission and returned to the more 
grateful care of his family. His friends, however, were not 
content to witness calmly either his resignation or the cause 
of it, and their influence was powerfully exercised with the 
administration in his behalf. The result was that in the course 
of a year he was reinstated by President Madison, and con- 
3* 



30 RESTORED TO HIS RANK. 

sented again to leave his home and its interests for the labours 
of a profession, the dangers of which in war are preferable to 
its monotony in peace. 

In 1816, immediately after his restoration to his former rank, 
Major Taylor was ordered to Green Bay, and remained in 
command of that post for two years. Returning to Kentucky, 
he passed a year with his family, and was then ordered to join 
Colonel Russell at New Orleans. Except during a temporary 
absence, when recalled by the illness of his wife, he continued 
in the south for several years, generally engaged in some ac- 
tive duty. One of his labours was the opening of a military 
road, and another the erection of Fort Jesup — the latter in, 
1822. In 1824 he was engaged in Louisville in the recruiting 
service, and in the latter part of that year was ordered to 
Washington. He was appointed a member of the board for 
the planning and erection of Jefferson Barracks. On the 20th 
of April, 1819, Taylor received the commission of a Lieute- 
nant Colonel. The following year he again returned to the 
south, but was recalled in 1826, to sit as a member of a board 
of officers of the Army and of the Militia, convened by Secre- 
tary Barbour, to consider and propose a system for the organi- 
zation and improvement of the militia of the United States. 
General Scott was president of this commission. The other 
members, besides Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, were Brigadier 
General Eustis, Lieutenant Colonel Cutler, Major Nourse of 
the Army, and Major General Cadwalader, Adjutant General 
Damil, and Adjutant General Sumner of the Militia. To the 
last-mentioned gentleman the writer is indebted for an account 
of the proceedings of this board. 

Its discussions were long and earnest, but a report was 
finally agreed upon, embracing several important provisions. 
It is unnecessary to introduce here an abstract of this docu- 
ment, but it is proper to state that Taylor — then Lieutenant 
Colonel — was strenuous in maintaining the militia strictly as 
citizen soldiery, in opposition to the views of some older 
officers in the board, who would have invested this body with 



HIS SEVERE DISCIPLINE. 31 

more of the character of a regular army. The report, having 
been drawn by General Scott, was adopted on motion of 
Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, and was approved in Congress. 
Owing, however, to want of proper attention, a bill based 
upon it was suffered to slumber for some time in Committee 
on the Militia, and was finally forgotten. 

The duties of Taylor were subsequently resumed upon the 
north-western frontier, a field on which, soon afterwards, he 
again met an Indian enemy and sustained the reputation won 
in his first contest with him. Five years of peace, however, 
preceded this occasion, — years not idly spent by the man who 
seemed unconsciously preparing himself in every department 
of his profession for the splendid achievements of his later 
days. A writer in the Literary World thus mentions him : " As 
plain Lieut. Colonel Taylor I have often seen him putting his 
men through the battalion drill on the northern banks of the 
Wisconsin, in the depth of February. This would seem only 
characteristic of the man who has since proved himself equally 
" Rough and Ready" under the scorching sun of the tropics. 
But, looking back through long years to many a pleasant hour 
spent in the well-selected library of the post which Colonel 
Taylor then commanded, we recur now with singular interest 
to the agreeable conversations held in the room which was the 
Colonel's favourite resort, amid the intervals of duty." And 
the same chronicler of his severe habits of discipline and study 
continues : " Nor will the reader think these personal reminis- 
cences impertinent, when we add that our object in recurring 
to them here is simply to mention that, remembering alike the 
wintry drill and the snug book-room, Taylor's hardihood — the 
idea of which now so readily attaches to his sobriquet of 
Rough and Ready — would certainly not then have struck a 
stranger as more characteristic than his liberal-minded intelli- 
gence." 

In 1832 Taylor was promoted to the rank of Colonel. 
During the previous year, the difficulties between the white 
settlers near Rock River, and the Sac Indians under the cele- 
brated chief Black Hawk, had been fomented by bad and 



32 THE BLACK HAWK WAR. 

interested men to a point of open hostilities. It must be 
equally as painful to any American historian, as it would be 
unnecessary for the author of this biography, to recite the 
events which brought about the contest known as « the Black 
Hawk war." If, in formeT periods and in other places, the 
implacable aversion of the Indians to the peaceful encroach- 
ments of our people, induced the latter to resort to arms and 
the work of destruction as acts of simple self-defence, the 
same reason cannot be asserted for the war against Black 
Hawk and his unfortunate tribe. Once commenced, however, 
the security of all parties demanded its termination by the 
most vigorous measures. 

Black Hawk, whose flags of truce had been on two different 
occasions fired upon, and the bearers killed, defeated on the 
14th of May, 1S32, near Rock River, a large number of 
mounted volunteers, who fled precipitately before a small band 
of the brave chief. The force of the latter was vastly exag- 
gerated by the fears of the routed troops, and alarm spread 
through the state of Illinois. General Atkinson, then com- 
manding in the north-west, had his head-quarters at Dixon's 
Ferry, which he immediately proceeded to fortify. The 
governor of Illinois at the same time called out a fresh body 
of mounted volunteers, and the secretary of war ordered about 
one thousand regulars to the scene of action. General Scott 
then took the command of the army, and conducted the cam- 
paign. For three months a contest characterized by the worst 
ads of border ferocity was maintained. The Indians mur- 
dered many froritier families, and committed bold depredations 
in the face of our troops. In their turn they suffered in several 
skirmishes, but not to the extent of disheartening them. A 
parly under Black Hawk attacked the fort at Buffalo Grove, 
and although they failed in carrying it, yet they killed several 
men, and afterwards defeated a detachment of volunteers who 
came to its rescue. 

General Atkinson arrived on the fourth of July with an army 
of twenty-five hundred men, including four hundred regulars 
under Col. Taylor, at Lake Coshconing, in the neighbourhood 



BATTLE OF THE BAD AXE. 33 

of which the Indians had collected. The latter were reduced, 
at the time, to the greatest extremity for want of provisions, 
their fighting men being encumbered with women and children 
and their moveable property, as they had fled from their villages 
with no means of immediate subsistence. From Lake Cosh- 
coning, an extension of Rock River, they were pursued to- 
wards Fort Winnebago by two brigades of mounted volunteers, 
under General Dodge, and overtaken on the banks of the 
Wisconsin. In this flight they suffered dreadfully from fatigue, 
famine and slaughter. 

Late in July, General Atkinson crossed the Wisconsin River 
and ordered the pursuit of the Indians. For this service 
thirteen hundred men, among whom were Taylor's regulars, 
were selected. They set forth immediately. The way was 
through a primitive wilderness, before untrodden by any body 
of white men. With forced speed the march was pressed 
over rocks and mountains, through woods and waters, often 
almost impassable for horses, and continually exhausting to the 
men. At last the enemy was overtaken on the Bad Axe, near 
the junction of the Mississippi and the Iowa. A battle, des- 
perate on the part of the Indians, ensued, in which they were 
wholly routed, many falling by our arms, others perishing in 
the river, and the rest dispersing or submitting themselves 
prisoners. The chief, Black Hawk, who then escaped, was in 
the course of the month surrendered by some of his faithless 
allies, and with his capture ended the war. The following is 
General Atkinson's official account of the battle. 

" Head Quarters, First Artillery Corps, North-western Army. 
« Prairie des Chiens, Augt. 25, 1832. 

" Sir : I have the honour to report to you that I crossed the 
Ouisconsin on the 27th and 28th'ultimo, with a select body of 
troops, consisting of the regulars under Col. Taylor, four 
hundred in number, part of Henry's, Posey's and Alexander's 
brigades, amounting in all to 1300 men, and immediately fell 
upon the trail of the enemy, and pursued it by a forced march, 
through a mountainous and difficult country, till the morning 



34 GENERAL A T K I X S O N ' S DESPATCH. 

of the 2d inst., when we came up with his main body on the 
left bank of the Mississippi, nearly opposite the mouth of the 
Iowa, which we attacked, defeated and dispersed, with a loss 
on his part of about a hundred and fifty men killed, thirty-nine 
women and children taken prisoners — the precise number could 
not be ascertained, as the greater portion was slain after being 
forced into the river. Our loss in killed and wounded, which 
is stated below, is very small in comparison with the enemy, 
which may be attributed to the enemy's being forced from his 
positions by a rapid charge at the commencement, and through- 
out the engagement — the remnant of the enemy, cut up and 
disheartened, crossed to the opposite side of the river, and 
has fled into the interior, with a view, it is supposed, of join- 
ing Keokuk and Wapello's bands of Sacs and Foxes. 

" The horses of the volunteer troops being exhausted by 
long marches, and the regular troops without shoes, it w T as not 
thought advisable to continue the pursuit ; indeed a stop to the 
further effusion of blood seemed to be called for, till it might 
be ascertained if the enemy would surrender. 

" It is ascertained from our prisoners, that the enemy lost in 
the battle of the Ouisconsin sixty-eight killed and a very large 
number wounded ; his whole loss does not fall short of three 
hundred ; — after the battle on the Ouisconsin, those of the 
enemy's women and children, and some who were dismounted, 
attempted to make their escape by descending that river, but 
judicious measures being taken by Captain Loomis and Lieut. 
Street, Indian agent, thirty-two women and children and four 
men have been captured, and some fifteen men killed by the 
detachment under Lieut. Ritner. 

" The day after the battle on this river, I fell down with the 
regular troops to this place by w T ater, and the mounted men 
will join us to-day. It is now my purpose to direct Keokuk 
to demand a surrender of the remaining principal men of the 
hostile party, which, from the large number of women and 
children we hold prisoners, I have every reason to believe will 
be complied with. Should it not, they should be pursued and 
subdued, a step Maj. Gen. Scott will take upon his arrival. 



ANECDOTE OF TAYLOR. 35 

" I cannot speak too highly of the brave conduct of the 
regular and volunteer forces engaged in the last battle and the 
fatiguing march that preceded it ; as soon as the reports of 
officers of the brigades and corps are handed in, they shall be 
submitted with further remarks. 

" 5 killed, 2 wounded, 6th inft. 
2 do. 5th inft. 
1 captain, 5 privates, Dodge's Bat. mounted. 
1 Lieut. 6 privates, Henry's. 
1 private wounded, Alexander's. 
1 private do. Posey's. 
I have the honour to be, with great respect, 

Your obedient servant, H. Atkinson, 

Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A. 

« Maj. Gen. Macomb, Com. in Chief, Washington." 

Black Hawk and his fellow prisoners were confided to the 
charge of Col. Taylor, who conveyed them to the Jefferson 
Barracks, where they arrived about the middle of September. 
On this, as on every other occasion, however trying, Taylor 
shrank from no obligation, the result of his position as an 
officer, carrying out the orders of his superiors. A portion 
of his task could not have been less painful to his feelings than 
difficult of execution. But it was accomplished promptly and 
thoroughly, in a manner worthy of himself. 

The writer in the Literary World, already quoted, relates 
the following anecdote of Taylor, while in pursuit of Black 
Hawk. If slightly erroneous in any particular, it is at least 
illustrative of the man. 

« Some time after Stillman's defeat by Black Hawk's band, 
Taylor, marching with a large body of volunteers and a hand- 
ful of regulars in pursuit of the hostile Indian force, found 
himself approaching Rock River, then asserted by many to be 
the true north-western boundary of Illinois. The volunteers, 
as Taylor was informed, would refuse to cross the stream. 
They were militia, they said, called out for the defence of the 
state, and it was unconstitutional to order them to march beyond 
its frontier into the Indian country. Taylor thereupon halted 



36 A DECISIVE SPEECH. 

his command, and encamped within the acknowledged boun- 
daries of Illinois. He would not, as the relator of the story 
said, budge an inch further without orders. He had already 
driven Black Hawk out of the state, but the question of crossing 
Rock River seemed hugely to trouble his ideas of integrity to 
the constitution on one side, and military expediency on the 
other. During the night, however, orders came, either from 
General Scott or General Atkinson, for him to follow up Black 
Hawk to the last. The quietness of the regular colonel, mean- 
while, had rather encouraged the mutinous militia to bring 
their proceedings to a head. A sort of town-meeting was 
called upon the prairie, and Taylor invited to attend. After 
listening some time very quietly to the proceedings, it became 
Rough and Ready's turn to address the chair. ' He had heard,'- 
he said, 'with much pleasure the views which several speakers 
had expressed of the independence and dignity of each private 
American citizen. He felt that all gentlemen there present 
were his equals — in reality, he was persuaded that many of 
them would in a few years be his superiors, and perhaps, in 
the capacity of members of congress, arbiters of the fortune 
and reputation of humble servants of the republic like himself. 
He expected them to obey them as interpreters of the will of 
the people ; and the best proof he could give that he would 
obey them, was now to observe the orders of those whom the 
people had already put in the places of authority, to which 
many gentlemen around him justly aspired. In plain English, 
gentlemen and fellow-citizens, the word has been passed on to 
me from Washington to follow Black Hawk, and to take you 
with me as soldiers. I mean to do both. There are the flat- 
boats drawn up on the shore, and here are Uncle Sam's men 
drawn up behind you on the prairie.' " It is unnecessary to 
state the effect of this appeal. 

After the Black Hawk war, Col. Taylor was for a short time 
in Louisville, and was thence ordered to Prairie du Chien, to 
the command of Fort Crawford, a work which had been erected 
under his superintendence. Here he remained until 1836, 
when his services were required in the Seminole war in Florida. 



FATE OF THE INDIAN RACES. 37 

To that field he immediately repaired, although he might with 
propriety have asked of the government a season of repose, 
having very rarely enjoyed the ease and tranquillity of home 
during a period of more than twenty-five years. 



CHAPTER III. 

Destiny of the Indian Races — Causes of the Florida War — Osceola — Com- 
mencement of the Florida War — Troops in Florida — Massacre of Dade's 
Command — Volunteers in Florida — Taylor ordered to the Seat of War — 
Marches against the Indians — Difficulties of the March — Battle of Okeecho- 
bee — Gallantry of the Troops — The Killed and Wounded — Taylor's Account 
of the Battle — Its Results — Taylor applauded by the Country — Promoted to 
a Brigadier Generalship — Appointed to the chief Command in Florida — Use 
of Blood-hounds — Authority for the Use — Reasons for the same — Indian 
Murders, several Accounts — Their Perfidy — Taylor vindicated — He retires 
from the Command in Florida. 

It is a fact, which speculative philanthropy seems no longer 
inclined to dispute, that the aboriginal races of this continent 
must decline and become extinct in the presence of our own 
civilized people. The minds and the habits of the white and 
the red man are not less irreconcilable than the colour of their 
skins. It appears idle, therefore, to mourn over the inevitable 
fate of the latter, or to regard as criminal the progress of the 
former, when of necessity it is attended with the invasion and 
occupation of new territory. Justice and humanity may modify 
the apparent hardship of the Indian, banished from the land 
of his fathers and bereft of the rude privileges which endear it 
to him. But no ingenuity can devise a code, which will secure 
his national independence and his barbarous usages, when 
surrounded by a civilized community. His sovereignty under 
such circumstances must cease. Nor this alone. He must 
also recede before the advance of a superior in knowledge and 
virtue, as well as in power. His only temporary hope of re- 
taining the semblance of freedom, and of the personal and 
civil customs which are a part of his nature, is to retire beyond 
4 



38 THE SEMINOLE TROUBLES. 

the boundaries of his better neighbour. And as these bound- 
aries extend, he must still retire ; losing strength with every 
movement, destroying the associations which were the only 
safeguard of his political and religious system, and by certain 
decay wasting away sooner or later from the face of the earth. 
The Seminole Indians, occupying the region of Florida, 
were required by the federal government to emigrate to lands 
appropriated for their occupation on the west of the Missis- 
sippi River. The requisition may have been a Tittle prema- 
ture — their vicinity to the white settlements may not at the 
time have been wholly incompatible with the security and 
comfort of the latter. But the period of their removal could 
not have been long postponed, and had they been well advised 
they would have immediately yielded to the proposition of the 
government. No difficulty, in fact, was anticipated in carry- 
ing it out. The local newspapers gave assurances of the rea- 
diness of the Indians to depart. Some unfairness, however, 
which it is needless to examine here, may have been practised 
in the negotiations with them. Their jealousy and pride 
were excited, and the task, which at first appeared so easy 
and certain of execution, proved to be one which baffled the 
diplomacy of cabinets and the power of armies, and cost the 
nation tens of hundreds of lives and tens of millions of trea- 
sure. 

A treaty with the Seminoles for their removal was concluded 
at Payne's Landing, in Florida, in May, 1832, allowing three 
years for its fulfilment. The government was first advised in 
1834 of their disinclination to depart. Yet as late as the 
•pring of 1835, there was in Florida a confidence in the public 
mind, regarding the calm dispositions of the Seminoles, un- 
clouded by a thought of the terrible storm which so soon after- 
wards desolated its homes, and menaced for a time even its 
capital with destruction. The St. Augustine Herald of that 
period, emphatically denied that there was any foundation for 
the reports of difficulties with' the Indians, — adding this assu- 
rance of their harmless character: "The Seminole of the pre- 
sent day is a different being from the warlike son of the forest, 



DESTRUCTION OF DADE'S COMMAND. 39 

when the tribe was numerous and powerful. No trouble in 
the removal of it is anticipated." Yet before the close of the 
year, how sadly was this declaration falsified ! A chief had 
appeared among this tribe destined to hold a place in history 
with Philip of Pokanokee, Tecumseh, and Black Hawk. This 
was Osceola. Hatred for the whites had long been a smo- 
thered fire in his heart, and now the moment had arrived when 
it burst forth with implacable fury. By inheritance, Osceola 
enjoyed no title or distinction among the Seminoles. He 
derived his origin from the Creeks, and had affected, until up- 
wards of thirty years of age, the more pacific feelings of that 
people. But when the time for throwing off disguise appeared 
to have matured, he used among the more southern tribes, the 
influence obtained by his talents and courage. Declaring 
openly against the United States' government and citizens, he 
supplanted the legitimate chiefs of the Seminoles, and even 
put to death those who exhibited a desire for peaceful mea- 
sures. Relentless in his enmities, profound in his purposes 
of vengeance, reckless of danger, deliberate, cunning, and 
ambitious, he acquired perfect ascendancy over his red breth- 
ren, and when he gave the signal war-cry, murder, rapine and 
fire told of their dreadful response, from the everglades of 
central Florida to the very walls of St. Augustine. Conster- 
nation seized the quiet inhabitants, and the bolder spirits, 
aroused alike by grief and rage, snatched up their arms and 
banded together, some to protect their homes, others to pursue 
with terrible justice the foe who would spare nought that was 
dear to them. 

The United States' troops, at this time, in Florida numbered % 
between five and six hundred men, stationed at several posts, 
— General Clinch being in command. On the 23d of Decem- 
ber, a detachment of two companies, amounting to one hundred 
and twelve officers and men, under Major Dade, marched from 
Fort Brooke for the purpose of joining the commanding gene- 
ral. On their route, anticipating no danger, they were sur- 
prised by a large body of the Indians; and, after a resistance, 
begun with cool bravery and protracted with fierce despair, 



40 TAYLOR ORDERED TO FLORIDA. 

the unfortunate party was utterly destroyed, with the exception 
of three men, who, exhausted with many wounds, reached the 
fort to tell the fate of their companies. From this memorable 
day, open war commenced. Many Creek warriors joined the 
Seminoles, and the government found it necessary to send in 
succession its most able generals into the field. From time to 
time, on their requisition, the gallant men of Louisiana, South 
Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri, promptly took up 
arms to aid their suffering brethren of Florida. On the part 
of the Indians, occasional success added vigour to their bold 
and cruel enterprises. 

In this state of affairs, Colonel Taylor was ordered to the 
seat of war. An opportunity was not long wanting for a new 
exhibition of his perseverance in discovering, and his skill in 
fighting, an Indian enemy. General Jesup had then command 
of the army in Florida, and, like his predecessors in the office, 
had made fruitless efforts to bring the Seminoles to terms of 
treaty. The hope had been entertained, that a delegation of 
the Cherokees, acting as mediators, might be able to convince 
them of the ultimate folly of opposing the wishes of our govern- 
ment, and the immediate advantages of laying down their 
arms and acceding to its proposals. The intercession of these 
friendly Indians, however, was unavailing with the obstinate 
and ferocious dispositions of the resisting tribes, and no choice 
was left between absolute concession to their demands, or 
rigorous enforcement of our own. Active hostilities, which 
during two years had abated at intervals, were, therefore, de- 
termined upon ; and, in December, 1837, Colonel Taylor re- 
ceived orders to seek out any portion of the enemy, wherever 
to be found, and to destroy or capture his forces. 

On the 19th and 20th of December, 1837, the force under 
Colonel Taylor, amounting to about eleven hundred, officers 
and men, left Fort Gardner, in pursuance of the instructions 
of General Jesup. The country presented all the usual 
obstacles to the march of an army, which are found in the 
narrow peninsula of Florida, and which had baffled the plans 
of many former expeditions. A wet and soft soil, matted with 



DIFFICULTIES OF A MARCH. 41 

rank herbage, which clogged the feet at every step, and served 
as an impenetrable screen to a lurking foe ; the deep and slimy 
beds and the waters of many streams ; the dense thickets of 
the cypress, the palmetto, and other luxuriant underwood, — 
such was the surface over which Taylor led his troops to dis- 
cover and cope with the savages. The latter, anticipating his 
approach, and perfectly familiar with the labyrinths and natu- 
ral fastnesses of their own country, had retired to one of its 
strongest and most inaccessible places, prepared to give him 
battle. 

The commander and his followers were not ignorant of the 
hazard and toil of their enterprise. Many were the brave 
spirits who had peiished in similar duty, — a duty in which 
failure had often brought reproach ; and in which success, 
achieved with grievous wounds and death, had been un- 
honoured by the applause of the nation, unrewarded by the 
care of the government. Regardless of all this, so crushing 
to the soldier's energies, Taylor led on his generous little army. 
Never had worthy chief more worthy aid. The noble and 
brave Lieutenant Colonel Davenport, who like him had been 
in the border struggles of the north-west; the firm and daring 
Lieut. Cols. Thompson and Foster, of the army, the latter 
schooled in the wars with England and on the frontier, and the 
magnanimous Col. Gentry of the Missouri volunteers, divided 
the commands under him. The banks of the Kissimmee 
River marked the course of the march, which for five days 
was laboriously pursued. At times the long clotted grass of 
the swamps wholly arrested the advance of the horses, and the 
men only finished a wearisome progress through these obstacles,* 
to plunge into the stagnant waters of low bottom lands. Oc- 
casionally a straggling Indian or the individuals of a family 
were captured, who served to assure Taylor that he was 
approaching the stronghold of their people. On the fifth day 
after leaving Fort Gardner he reached a cypress swamp, which 
bore the marks of the late presence of a large body of the 
enemy. Taylor disposed his army in order of battle, and ad- 
vanced expecting to find him. But the swamp was passed 
4* 



42 BATTLE- OF OKEECH-OBEE. 

without his appearing, and a large prairie disclosed, bounded 
on its farther side by an extensive hammock. In the latter, 
according to the report of a prisoner, the Indians were posted. 
Here, at noon on the 25th, the final preparations were made 
for the attack. 

Gentry's Missouri volunteers and Captain Morgan's " Spies" 
were formed in an extended line, and ordered to enter the 
hammock, to attack the enemy, and if repulsed to fall back 
under cover of the regular troops. The Fourth Infantry, under 
Lt. Col. Foster, and the Sixth, under Lt. Col. Thompson, 
formed a second line to support the volunteers. The First In- 
fantry, under Lt. Col. Davenport, was held in reserve. Eager 
for the action, the troops hurried forward in this order, but at 
the distance of a quarter of a mile entered a wide slough, 
which seemed to forbid farther progress. For horses the ad- 
vance was impossible, and they were abandoned, while the 
men, buried to their necks in the long tangled grass, and 
sinking frequently to their waists in slime and water, struggled 
on to charge the unseen foe. They had proceeded thus but 
little beyond the edge of the swamp, the volunteers and spies 
leading in the order assigned them, when suddenly the rustle 
of the grass and the plash of the water through which they 
moved, were smothered in the rattle of hundreds of rifles. 
The savages were close before them, and had reserved their 
fire until it would be surely answered with the death-cry of 
many a brave assailant. But the shock for a time was fear- 
lessly sustained, and the volunteers still charged on, until the 
impetuous commander, cheering them in the front rank, re- 
ceived a fatal shot and fell. Major Sconce, Capt. Childs, 
Lieutenants Rogers, Haas, and Gordon, staggered under their 
wounds. The men, discouraged, now gave way and retired 
from the storm which had swept down their leaders. But the 
regulars pressed forward through the deep morass, as compact 
and firm as if the solid ground were beneath them, and only a 
holiday crowd in front to admire their manoeuvres. On the 
Sixth Infantry a torrent of bullets was poured, carrying havoc 
into their files. The dark cool waters beneath them grew 



THE INDIANS DEFEATED. 43 

warm and red with their blood, and in the foremost ranks was 
not a heart but pajd its tribute to swell the tide. Their leader, 
too, the heroic Thompson, regardless of two balls received in 
the first onset, courted and met death at their head, shouting 
the charge, and words of encouragement, with his last breath. 
Still they closed upon their* foes, and with every step left 
behind a fallen chief or comrade. Adjutant Center, Captain 
Van Swearingen, and Lieut. Brooke perished. Capt. Andrews 
and Lieuts. Hooper and Walker were wounded, and every in- 
ferior officer of five companies in the advance was also killed 
or disabled, while of one company only four men were unin- 
jured. For more than an hour, before so terrible a fire, the 
gallant Sixth advanced, and when its leaders were lost, at last 
retired, but only for a time, to form again and renew the assault. 
Thrice the enemy wavered and gave ground, and thrice re- 
turned to the most desperate conflict ever maintained by their 
arms. 

Meanwhile Lt. Col. Foster led on the Fourth, and finally 
drove the savages from their position ; and being joined by 
Capt. Noel with the remaining companies of the Sixth, pressed 
them hotly to their camp on the borders of Lake Okeechobee. 
Capt. Allen, with two companies, having been detached to the 
right in the beginning of the action, Lieut. Col. Davenport, 
with the First Infantry, was ordered, when his advance was 
perceived, to turn the right flank of the enemy. This move- 
ment being executed with brave alacrity, and the enemy seeing 
the regiment in position, delivered one final volley from their 
rifles and fled, the three regiments of regulars and a portion of 
the volunteers following them in every direction, and only 
abating the pursuit when night closed in upon them. 

The force of the Indians amounted to several hundred 
warriors, and they had so chosen their defensive position as to 
give the utmost efficiency to their numbers. Their loss was 
not ascertained. The loss of our troops in this severe and 
memorable battle, included fourteen officers and one hundred 
I and twenty-four men, killed and wounded, being one-fifth 
of the whole number engaged. Upon the merits of a victory 



44 CREDIT OF THE VICTORY. 

gained under such circumstances, and at such cost of life and 
blood, what comment can be made to enhance respect for the 
dauntless spirits who won it? We look upon the exhausting 
march of five days from Fort Gardner, and the previous ad- 
vance of five weeks to that station, attended with hardships 
scarcely less appalling, and we ask in admiration, whence was 
the strength, whence the energy, whence the courage to engage 
for three hours on ground which scarcely admitted a foothold, 
and defeat and scatter a foe whom nature had entrenched and 
desperation animated ? Can any answer be found to the ques- 
tion, unless it be in the ability, the valour, the endurance, the 
inspiring presence of the chief himself? He had led them on 
the long and arduous march, sharing all their toils and priva- 
tions, and when they met the enemy, he was seen where the 
battle strewed the dead around him, calm amid its iron tempest, 
and giving assurance by his thrilling voice and flashing eye of 
victory, which, however long it may flutter around his standard, 
never fails to rest at last upon it. 

The contest over, the care of the wounded and the dead was 
the first thought of the commander. That his humanity may 
be appreciated, as well as his heroism, through the whole of 
the trying scenes which have been faintly sketched, it is proper 
to exhibit his own official narrative. 

"Head Quarters, First Brigade, Army south of the Withlacoochee. 

"Fort Gardner, January 4, 1838. 

" On the 19th ultimo, I received at this place a communi- 
cation from Major General Jesup, informing me that all hopes 
of bringing the war to a close by negotiation, through the in- 
terference or mediation of the Cherokee delegation, were at an 
end ; Sam Jones, with the Mickasukies, having determined to 
fight it out to the last, and directing me to proceed with the 
least possible delay against any portion of the enemy I might 
hear of within striking distance, and to destroy or capture 
him. 

"After leaving two officers and an adequate force for the 
protection of my depot, I marched the next morning, with 
twelve days' rations (my means of transportation not enabling 



Taylor's official account. 45 

me to carry more,) with the balance of my command, consist- 
ing of Captain Munroe's company of the Fourth artillery, total 
thirty-five men ; the First infantry, under the command of 
Lieutenant Colonel Foster, two hundred and seventy-four ; the 
Sixth infantry, under Lieutenant Colonel Thompson, two hun- 
dred and twenty-one ; the Missouri volunteers, one hundred 
and eighty ; Morgan's spies, forty-seven ; pioneers, thirty ; 
pontoneers, thirteen ; and seventy Delaware Indians, making 
a force, exclusive of officers, of one thousand and thirty-two 
men ; the greater part of the Shawnees having been detached, 
and the balance refusing to accompany me, under the pretext 
that a number of them were sick, and the remainder were with- 
out moccasins. 

" I moved down the west side of the Kissimmee, in a south- 
easterly course, towards Lake Istopoga, for the following 
reasons: 1st. Because I knew a portion of the hostiles were to 
be found in that direction ; 2d. If General Jesup should fall in 
with the Mickasukies and drive them, they might attempt to 
elude him by crossing the Kissimmee, from the east to the west 
side of the peninsula, between this and its entrance into the 
Okeechobee, in which case I might be near at hand to inter- 
cept them ; 3d. To overawe and induce such of the enemy 
who had been making propositions to give themselves up, and 
who appeared very slow, if not to hesitate in complying with 
their promises on that head, to surrender at once ; and lastly, 
I deemed it advisable to erect block-houses and a small picket 
work on the Kissimmee, for a third depot, some thirty or forty 
miles below this, and obtain a knowledge of the intervening 
country, as I had no guide who could be relied on, and by 
this means open a communication with Colonel Smith, who 
was operating up the Caloosehatchee, or Sangbel river, under 
my orders. 

" Late in the evening of the first day's march, I met the In- 
dian chief Jumper, with his family, and a part of his band, 
consisting of fifteen men, a part of them with families, and a 
few negroes, in all sixty-three souls, on his way to give him- 
self up, in comformity to a previous arrangement I had entered 



46 EVENTS ON THE MARCH. 

into with him. They were conducted by Captain Parks ami 
a few Shawnees. He (Parks) is an active, intelligent half t 
breed, who is at the head of the friendly Indians, both Shaw* 
nees and Delawares, and who I had employed to arrange anc 
bring in Jumper and as many of his people as he could prevaii 
on to come in. We encamped that night near the same spot ; anc< 
the next morning, having ordered Captain Parks to join me 
and take command of the Delawares, and having despatched 
Jumper, in charge of some Shawnees, to this place, and so on 
to Fort Frazier, I continued my march, after having sent for- 
ward three friendly Seminoles to gain intelligence as to the 
position of the enemy. 

"About noon the same day, I sent forward one battalion 
of Gentry's regiment, under command of Lieutenant Colonel 
Price, to pick up any stragglers that might fall in his way, to 
encamp two or three miles in advance of the main force, to 
act with great circumspection, and to communicate promptly 
any occurrence that might take place in his vicinity, important 
for me to know. About JO, P. M., I received a note from 
the colonel, stating that the three Seminoles sent forward in 
the morning had returned ; that they had been at or near 
where Alligator had encamped, twelve or fifteen miles in his 
advance ; that he (Alligator) had left there with a part of his 
family four days before, under the pretext of separating his 
relations, &c, from the Mickasukies, preparatory to his sur- 
rendering with them ; that there w T ere several families remaining 
at the camp referred to, who wished to give themselves up, 
and would remain there until we took possession of them, un- 
less they were forcibly carried off that night by the Mickasu- 
kies, who were encamped at no great distance from them. 

" In consequence of this intelligence, after directing Lieu- 
tenant Colonel Davenport to follow me early in the morning 
with the infantry, a little after midnight I put myself at the 
head of the residue of the mounted men and joined Lieutenant 
Colonel Price, proceeded on, crossing Istopoga outlet, and 
soon after daylight took possession of the encampment referred 
to, where I found the inmates, who had not been disturbed. 



FURTHER INCIDENTS. 47 

They consisted of an old man, and two young ones, and seve- 
ral women and children, amounting in all to twenty-two indi- 
viduals. The old man informed me that Alligator was very 
anxious to separate his people from the Mickasukies, who were 
encamped on the opposite side of the Kissimmee, distant about 
twenty miles, where they would fight us. I sent him to Alli- 
gator to say to him, if he were sincere in his professions, to 
meet me the next day at the Kissimmee, where the trail I was 
marching on crossed, and where I should halt. 

" As soon as the infantry came up I moved on to the place 
designated, which I reached late that evening, ajid where I 
encamped. About 11 P. M., the old Indian returned, bring- 
ing a very equivocal message from Alligator, who, he stated, 
he had met accidentally ; also, that the Mickasukies were still 
encamped where they had been for some days, and where they 
were determined to fight us. 

" I determined at once on indulging them as soon as prac- 
ticable. Accordingly, next morning, after laying out a small 
stockade work for the protection of a future depot, in order to 
enable me to move with the greatest celerity, I deposited the 
whole of my heavy baggage, including artillery, &c, and hav- 
ing provisioned the command to include the 26th, after leaving 
Captain Munroe with his company, the pioneer, pontoneers, 
with eighty-five sick and disabled infantry, and a portion of 
the friendly Indians, who alleged that they were unable to 
march farther, crossed the Kissimmee, taking the old Indian 
as a guide who bad been captured the day before, and who 
accompanied us with great apparent reluctance, in pursuit of 
the enemy, and early the next clay reached Alligator's encamp- 
ment, situated on the edge of Cabbage-tree Hammock, in' the 
midst of a large prairie, from the appearance of which, and 
other encampments in the vicinity, and the many evidences 
of slaughtered cattle, there must have been several hundred 
individuals. 

"At another small hammock, at no great distance from Al- 
ligator's encampment, and surrounded by a swamp, impassable 
for mounted men, the spies surprised an encampment contain- 



48 SPIESCAPTURED. 

ing one old man, four young men, and some women and chil- 
dren. One of the party immediately raised a white flag, when 
the men were taken possession of, and brought across the 
swamp to the main body. I proceeded with an interpreter to: 
meet them. They proved to be Seminoles, and professed to 
be friendly. They stated that they were preparing to come 
in; they had just slaughtered a number of cattle, and weree 
employed in drying and jerking the same. They also informed 
me that the Mickasukies, headed by A-vi-a-ka, (Sam Jones,) 
were some ten or twelve miles distant encamped in a swamp,, 
and were prepared to fight. 

"Although I placed but little confidence in their professions 
of friendship, or their intentions of coming in, yet I had no 
time to look up their women and children, who had fled and 
concealed themselves in the swamp, or to have encumbered 
myself with them in the situation in which I then was. Ac- 
cordingly, I released the old man, who promised that he would 
collect all the women and children and take them in to Captain 
Munroe, at the Kissimmee, the next day. I also dismissed 
the old man who had acted as guide thus far, supplying his 
place with the four able w T arriors who had been captured that 
morning. 

"These arrangements being made, I moved under their 
guidance for the camp of the Mickasukies. Between two and 
three, P. M., we reached a very dense cypress swamp, through 
which we were compelled to pass, and in which our guide in- 
formed us we might be attacked. After making the necessary 
dispositions for battle, it was ascertained that there was no> 
enemy to oppose us. The army crossed over and encamped 
for the night, it being late. During the passage of the rear, 
Captain Parks, who was in advance with a few friendly Indians, 
fell in with two of the enemy's spies, between two and three 
miles of our camp_ one on horseback, the other on foot, and 
succeeded in capturing the latter. He was an active young 
warrior, armed with an excellent rifle, fifty balls in his pouch, 
and an adequate proportion of powder. This Indian confirmed 
the information which had been previously received from the 



DISPOSITION FOR BATTLE. 49 

other Indians, and, in addition, stated that a large body of 
Seminoles, headed by John Cohua, (Co-a-coo-chee,) and, no 
doubt, Alligator, with other chiefs, were encamped five or six 
miles from us, near the Mickasukies, with a cypress swamp 
and dense hammo'ck between them and the latter. 

" The army moved forward at daylight the next morning, 
and after marching five or six miles, reached the camp of the 
Seminoles on the border of another cypress swamp, which 
must have contained several hundred, and bore evident traces 
of having been abandoned in a great hurry, as the fires were 
still burning, and quantities of beef lying on the ground un- 
consumed. 

" Here the troops were again disposed of in order of battle, 
but we found no enemy to oppose us; and the command was 
crossed over about 11 A. M., when we entered a large prairie 
in our front, on which two or three hundred head of cattle 
were grazing, and a number of Indian ponies. Here another 
young Indian warrior was captured, armed and equipped as 
the former. He pointed out a dense hammock on our right, 
about a mile distant, in which he said the hostiles were situ- 
ated, and waiting to give us battle. 

"At this place the final disposition was made to "attack 
them, which was in two lines, the volunteers under [Gentry, 
and Morgan's spies, to form the first line in extended order, 
who were instructed to enter the hammock, and in the event 
of being attacked and hard pressed, were to fall back in rear 
of the regular troops, out of reach of the enemy's fire ; the 
second was composed of the 4th and 6th infantry, who were 
instructed to sustain the volunteers, the 1st infantry being held 
in reserve. , 

" Moving on in the direction of the hammock, after pro 
ceeding about a quarter of a mile, we reached the swamp 
which separated us from the enemy, three-quarters of a mile 
in breadth, being totally impassable for horses, and nearly so 
for foot, covered with a thick growth of saw grass, five feet 
high, and about knee-deep in mud and water, which extended 
to the left as far as the eye could reach, and to the right to a 
5 



50 SANGUINARY ASSAULT. 

part of the swamp and hammock we had just crossed through, 
ran a deep creek. At the edge of the swamp the men were 
dismounted, and the horses an,d baggage left under a suitable 
guard. Captain Allen was detached with the two companies 
of mounted infantry to examine the swamp and hammock to 
the right, and in case he should not find the enemy in that di- 
rection, was to return to the baggage, and in the event of his 
hearing a heavy firing to join me immediately. 

" After making these arrangements, I crossed the sw T amp in 
the order stated. On reaching the borders of the hammock, 
the volunteers and spies received a heavy fire from the enemy, 
which w r as returned by them for a short time, when their gal- 
lant commander, Colonel Gentry, fell, mortally wounded. 
They mostly broke ; and instead of forming in rear of the re- 
gulars, as had been directed, they retired across the swamp to 
their baggage and horses, nor could they again be brought into 
action as a body, although efforts were made repeatedly by my 
staff to induce them to do so. 

"The enemy, however, were promptly checked and driven 
back by the 4th and 6th infantry, which in truth might be said 
to be a moving battery. The weight of the enemy's fire was 
principally concentrated on five companies of the 6th infantry, 
which not only stood firm, but continued to advance until 
their gallant commander, Lieutenant Colonel Thompson, and 
his adjutant, Lieutenant Center, were killed ; and every officer, 
with one exception, as well as most of the non-commissioned 
officers, including the serjeant-major and four of the orderly 
sergeants, killed and wounded of those companies, when that 
portion of the regiment retired to a short distance and were 
again formed, one of these companies having but four members 
left untouched. 

" Lieutenant Colonel Foster, with six companies, amounting 
in all to one hundred and sixty men, gained the hammock in 
good order, where he was joined by Captain Noel with the 
two remaining companies of the 6th infantry, and Captain 
Gentry's volunteers, with a few additional men, continued to 
drive the enemy for a considerable time, and by a change of 



CARE OF T II E WOUNDED . 51 

front, separated his line and continued to drive him until he 
reached the great lake, Okeechobee, which was in the rear of 
the enemy's position, and on which their encampment extended 
for more than a mile. As soon as I was informed that Captain 
Allen was advancing, I ordered the 1st infantry to move to the 
Jeft, gain the enemy's right flank, and turn it, which order was 
executed in the promptest manner possible, and as soon as 
that regiment got in position, the enemy gave one fire and re- 
treated, being pursued by the 1st, 4th, and 6th, and some of 
the volunteers who had joined them, until near night, and 
until these troops were nearly exhausted, and the enemy driven 
in all directions. 

" The action was a severe one, and continued from half-past 
twelve until three P. M., a part of the time very close and se- 
vere. We suffered much, having twenty-six killed, and one 
hundred and twelve wounded, among whom are some of our 
most valuable officers. The hostiles probably suffered, all 
things considered, equally with ourselves, they having left ten 
dead on the ground, besides, doubtless, carrying off more, as 
is customary with them when practicable. 

"As soon as the enemy were completely broken, I turned 
my attention to taking care of the wounded, to facilitate their 
removal to my baggage, where I ordered an encampment to 
be formed. I directed Captain Taylor to cross over to the spot 
and employ every individual whom he might find there in con- 
structing a small footway across the swamp ; this, with great 
exertions, was completed in a short time after dark, when all 
the dead and wounded were carried over in litters made for 
the purpose, with one exception, a private of the 4th infantry, 
who was killed and could not be found. s 

" And here I trust I may be permitted to say that I expe- 
rienced one of the most trying scenes of my life, and he who 
could have looked on it with indifference, his nerves must have 
been differently organized from my own. Besides the killed, 
there lay one hundred and twelve wounded officers and sol- 
diers, who had accompanied me one hundred and forty-five 
miles, most of the way through an unexplored wilderness, 



52 RETURN TO FORT GARDNER. 

without guides, who had so gallantly beaten the enemy, under 
my orders, in his strongest position, and who had to be con- 
veyed back, through swamps and hammocks, from whence we 
set out, without any apparent means of doing so. This ser- 
vice, however, was encountered and overcome, and they have 
been conveyed thus far, and proceeded on to Tampa Bay on 
rude litters, constructed with the axe and knife alone, wkh 
poles and dry hides — the latter being found in great abundance 
at the encampment of the hostiles. The litters were carried 
on the backs of our weak and tottering horses, aided by the 
residue of the command, with more ease and comfort to suf- 
ferers than I could have supposed, and with as much as they 
could have been in ambulances of the most improved and 
modern construction. 

" The day after the battle we remained at our encampment, 
occupied in taking care of the wounded, and in the sad office 
of interring the dead ; also in preparing litters for the removal 
of the wounded, and collecting, with a portion of the mounted 
men, the horses and cattle in the vicinity belonging to the 
enemy, of which we found about one hundred of the former, 
many of them saddled, and nearly three hundred of the latter. 

" We left our encampment on the morning of the 27th, for 
the Kissimmee, where I had left my heavy baggage, which 
place we reached about noon on the 28th. After leaving two 
companies and a few Indians to garrison the stockade, which 
I found nearly completed on my return, by that active and 
vigilant officer, Captain Munroe, 4th artillery, I left the next 
morning for this place, where I arrived on the 31st, and sent 
forward the wounded next day to Tampa Bay, with the 4th 
and 6th infantry, the former to halt at Fort Frazer, remaining 
here myself with the 1st, in order to make preparations to take 
the field again as soon as my horses can be recruited, most of 
which have been sent to Tampa, and my supplies in a sufficient 
state of forwardness to justify the measure. 

" In speaking of the command, I can only say, that so far 
as the regular troops are concerned, no one could have been 
more efficiently sustained than I have been, from the com- 



HONOUR TO THE TROOPS. 53 

mencement of the campaign ; and I am certain that they will 
always be willing and ready to discharge any duty that may be 
assigned them. 

" To Lieutenant Colonel Davenport, and the officers and 
soldiers of the First Infantry, I feel under many obligations 
for the manner in which they have, on all occasions, discharged 
their duty ; and although held in reserve, and not brought into 
battle until near its close, it evinced by its eagerness to engage, 
and the promptness and good order with which they entered 
the hammock, when the order was given for them to do so, is 
the best evidence that they would have sustained their own 
characters, as well as that of the regiment, had it been their 
fortune to have been placed in the hottest of the battle. 

" The Fourth Infantry, under their gallant leader, Lieutenant 
Colonel Foster, was among the first to gain the hammock, and 
maintained this position, as well as driving a portion of the 
enemy before him, until he arrived on the borders of Lake 
Okeechobee, which was in the rear, and continued the pursuit 
until near night. Lieutenant Colonel Foster, who was favour- 
ably noticed for his gallantry and good conduct in nearly all 
the engagements on the Niagara frontier, during the late war 
with Great Britain, by his several commanders, as well as in 
the different engagements with the Indians in this territory, 
never acted a more conspicuous part than in the action of the 
25th ult. ; he speaks in the highest terms of the conduct of 
brevet Major Graham, his second in command, as also the 
officers and soldiers of the Fourth Infantry, who were engaged 
in the action. Captain Allen, with his two mounted compa- 
nies of the Fourth Infantry, sustained his usual character for 
promptness and efficiency. Lieutenant Hooper, of the Fourth 
Regiment, was wounded through the arm, but continued on 
the field, at the head of his company, until the termination of 
the battle. 

" I am not sufficiently master of words to express my admi- 
ration of the gallantry and steadiness of the officers and soldiers 
of the sixth regiment of infantry. It was their fortune to bear 
the brunt of the battle. The report of the killed and wounded, 
5* 



54 GENTRYANDHISSON. 

which accompanies this, is more conclusive evidence of their 
merits than anything I can say. After five companies of this 
regiment, against which the enemy directed the most deadly- 
fire, was nearly cut up, there being only four men left uninjured 
in one of them ; and every officer and orderly serjeant of those 
companies, with one exception, were either killed or wounded, 
Captain Noel, with the remaining two companies, his own 
company, " K.," and Crossman's, "B.," commanded by- 
second Lieutenant Woods, which was the left of the regiment, 
formed on the right of the fourth infantry, entered the hammock 
with that regiment, and continued the fight and the pursuit 
until its termination. It is due to Captain Andrews and Lieu- 
tenant "Walker, to say they commanded two of the five com- 
panies mentioned above, and they continued to direct them, 
until they were both severely wounded, and carried from the 
field ; the latter received three separate balls. 

" The Missouri volunteers, under the command of Colonel 
Gentry, and Morgan's spies, who formed the first line, and, 
of course, were the first engaged, acted as well, or even better, 
than troops of that description generally do ; they received and 
returned the enemy's fire with spirit, for some time, when they 
broke and retired, with the exception of Captain Gillam and a 
few of his company, and Lieutenant Blakey, also with a few 
men, who joined the regulars, and acted with them, until after 
the close of the battle, but not until they had suffered severely ; 
the commanding officer of the volunteers, Colonel Gentry, 
being mortally wounded while leading on his men, and en- 
couraging them to enter the hammock, and come to close 
quarters with the enemy ; his son, an interesting youth, eigh- 
teen or nineteen years of age, serjeant major of the regiment, 
was severely wounded at the same moment. 

" Captain Childs, Lieutenants Rogers and Flanagan, of 
Gentry's regiment, acting Major Sconce, and Lieutenants Hase 
and Gordon, of the spies, were wounded, while encouraging 
their men to a discharge of their duty. 

" The volunteers and spies having, as before stated, fallen 
back to the baggage, could not again be formed and brought 



OFFICERS SIGNALIZED. 55 

up to the hammock in anything like order ; but a number of 
them crossed over individually, and aided in conveying the 
wounded across the swamp to the hammock, among whom 
were Captain Curd, and several other officers, whose names I 
do not now recollect. 

" To my personal staff, consisting of first Lieutenant J. M. 
Hill, of the second, and first Lieutenant George H. Griffin, of 
the sixth infantry, the latter aid-de-camp to Major General 
Gaines, and a volunteer in Florida from his staff, I feel under 
the greatest obligations for the promptness and efficiency with 
which they have sustained me throughout the campaign, and 
more particularly for their good conduct, and the alacrity with 
which they aided me and conveyed my orders during the ac- 
tion of the 25th ult. 

" Captain Taylor, commissary of subsistence, who was or- 
dered to join General Jesup at Tampa Bay, as chief of the 
subsistence department, and who was ordered by him to remain 
with his column until he (General Jesup) joined it, although 
no command was assigned Captain Taylor, he greatly exerted 
himself in trying to rally and bring back the volunteers into 
action, as well as discharging other important duties which 
were assigned to him during the action. 

" Myself, as well as all who witnessed the attention and 
ability displayed by Surgeon Satterlee, medical director on this 
side the peninsula, assisted by assistant surgeons McLaren and 
Simpson, of the medical staff of the army, and Doctors Hannah 
and Cooke, of the Missouri volunteers, in ministering to the 
wounded, as well as their uniform kindness to them on all oc- 
casions, can never cease to be referred to by me but with the 
most pleasing and grateful recollections. 

" The quartermaster's department, under the direction o.f 
that efficient officer, Major Brant, and his assistant, Lieutenant 
Babbit, have done everything that could be accomplished to 
throw forward from Tampa Bay, and keep up supplies of pro- 
visions, forage, etc., with the limited means at their disposal. 
Assistant commissaries Lieutenants Harrison, stationed at Fort 
Gardner, and McClure, at Fort Fraser, have fully met my ex- 



56 Thompson's last words. 

peetations in discharge of the various duties connected with 
their department, as well as those assigned them in the quar- 
termaster's department. 

" This column, in six weeks, penetrated one hundred and 
fifty miles into the enemy's country, opened roads, and con- 
structed bridges and causeways, when necessary, on the 
greater portion of the route, established two depots, and the 
necessary defences for the same, and finally overtook and beat 
the enemy in his strongest position. The results of which 
movement and battle have been the capture of thirty of the 
hostiles, the coming in and surrendering of more than one 
hundred and fifty Indians and negroes, mostly the former, in- 
cluding the chiefs Ou-la-too-gee, Tus-ta-nug-gee, and other 
principal men, the capturing and driving out of the country 
six hundred head of cattle, upwards of one hundred head of 
horses, besides obtaining a thorough knowledge of the country 
through which we operated, a greater portion of which was 
entirely unknown, except to the enemy. 

" Colonel Gentry died in a few hours after the battle, much 
regretted by the army, and will be, doubtless, by all who 
knew him, as his state did not contain a braver man or a bet- 
ter citizen. 

" It is due to his rank and talents, as well as to his long and 
important services, that I particularly mention Lieutenant Co- 
lonel A. R. Thompson, of the Sixth Infantry, who fell, in the 
discharge of his duty, at the head of his regiment. He was 
in feeble health, brought on by exposure to this climate during 
the past summer, refusing to leave the country while his regi- 
ment continued in it. Although he received two balls from 
the fire of the enemy, early in the action, which wounded hirn 
severely, yet he appeared to disregard them, and continued to 
give his orders with the same coolness that he would have done 
had his regiment been under review or on any parade duty. 
Advancing, he received a third ball, which at once deprived 
him of life. His last words were, "keep steady, men, charge 
the hammock — remember the regiment to which you belong." 
I had known Colonel Thompson personally only for a short 



RESULT OF THE BATTLE. 57 

time, and the more I knew of him the more I wished to know ; 
and, had his life been spared, our acquaintance, no doubt, 
would have ripened into the closest friendship. Under such 
circumstances, there are few, if any, other, than his bereaved 
wife, mother, and sisters, who more deeply and sincerely 
lament his loss, or who will longer cherish his memory, than 
myself. 

I " Captain Van Swearingen, Lieutenant Brooke, and Lieu- 
tenant and Adjutant Center, of the same regiment, who fell on 
that day, had no superiors of their years in service, and, in 
point of chivalry, ranked among the first in the army or nation ; 
besides their pure and disinterested courage, they possessed 
other qualifications, which qualified them to fill the highest 
grades of their profession, which, no doubt, they would have 
attained and adorned, had their lives been spared. The two 
former served with me on another arduous and trying cam- 
paign, and, on every occasion, whether in the camp, on the 
march, or on the field of battle, discharged their various duties 
to my entire satisfaction. 

With great respect, etc., etc., 

Z. Taylor, Col. Com'd. 

To Brig. Gen. Jones, Adj. Gen., U. S. Army, Washington, D. C." 

The immediate consequence of the battle of Lake Okeecho- 
bee, was the surrender of a number of Indians. Col. Taylor 
had penetrated farther into their country than any other com- 
mander, and to a point beyond which it was impossible to pro- 
ceed, had he even been unincumbered by the care of the 
wounded. The nature of the soil, as has been seen, forbade 
the transportation of supplies in the usual mode, and the 
enemy, if disposed, was therefore at liberty to remain in the 
depths of their native wilderness. This, as the subsequent 
history of the war unhappily shows, continued to be the policy 
of a large number, who, scattered in petty bands over a wide 
extent of barren and swamp lands, were enabled to defy for 
years all the force which the federal government deemed expe- 
dient to employ against them. If, however, the dearly-bought 



58 TAYLOR PROMOTED. 

triumph of Taylor failed to reduce the whole body of the In- 
dians to terras of peace, it still demanded the grateful recogni- 
tion of the nation and the government. The sentiments of the 
latter were expressed in the annexed General Order. 

"Washington, February 20, 1838. 

" The Secretary of War has received from Col. Taylor, of the 
First Regiment of Infantry, of the affair of the 25th December 
last, with the Seminole Indians on the eastern shore of Lake 
Okeechobee, in Florida, in which the Indians, after a severe 
conflict, were beaten and driven at all points. 

" The gallantry and the steadiness displayed in the attack 
are highly creditable to the corps engaged ; and the conduct 
of Col. Taylor, in pursuing the enemy and bringing him to 
action, is deserving of high commendation. 

" The triumph of success cannot lessen the regret which 
must be felt by all for the loss of the many valuable lives, and 
the severe suffering by wounds, which unavoidably attend a 
military achievement. 

» To Col. Taylor and the officers, non-commissioned officers, 
and troops of the regular army, the Secretary of War tenders 
the thanks of the President of the United States, for the dis- 
cipline and bravery displayed by them on the occasion ; as 
likewise to the officers and volunteers of Missouri, who shared 
in the conflict, and who evinced so much zeal and gallantry in 
bringing on the action. 

" By order of 

Alexander Macomb, 
Mj. Gen. Commander-in-Chief." 

This official acknowledgement of Taylor's merit was soon 
after followed by promotion to the rank of Brigadier General 
by brevet, according to the language of the order, " for dis- 
tinguished services in the battle of Kissimmee (Okeechobee), 
in Florida." 

In April, 1838, and soon after his promotion, the command 
of the troops in Florida was assigned to General Taylor, Ge- 
neral Jesup having been relieved at his own desire. In this 



SUCCEEDS GEN. JESUP. 59 

new and responsible position, his entire energies were devoted 
to the protection of the inhabitants from attacks of the Indians, 
and of the reduction of the latter to submission to the authority 
of the United States. The perfect accomplishment of these 
objects was impracticable with the means and forces placed at 
the disposal of the commander. In a communication to the 
war department, written by General Jesup, on the ninth of 
February, 1838, prior to his recall, he makes these decided 
remarks on the subject of the war : 

"As a soldier, it is my duty, I am aware, not to comment 
on the policy of the government, but to carry it out in accord- 
ance with my instructions. I have endeavoured faithfully to 
do so, but the prospect of terminating the w r ar in any reasona- 
ble time is any thing but flattering. My decided opinion is, 
that unless immediate emigration be abandoned, the war will 
continue for years to come, and at constantly accumulating 
expense." 

In the letter, of which this is a prophetic passage, the dis- 
tinguished writer earnestly recommends that the Indians be 
allowed to remain within certain limits, at a distance from the 
white population. The advice, however, was not followed, 
and General Taylor was entrusted with the task which four able 
predecessors had in vain endeavoured to perform. From time 
to time skirmishes with the Indians took place, and individuals, 
or small parties of them, were captured or voluntarily surren- 
dered. But they could never be brought to a general action, 
and after a short season of comparative repose, they renewed, 
against the defenceless inhabitants of the frontier, the acts of 
barbarity which had marked their first hostilities. 

To put an end to this work, an expedient was at last devised, 
which, as it was the subject of much severe animadversion at 
the time, and of which General Taylor bore a part, it is proper 
that his candid biographer should record. This expedient 
was the use of blood-hounds in pursuit of the Indians. The 
annunciation of such a purpose was at first received with doubt, 
and finally visited with unqualified censure, in those parts of 
the country where, on the one hand, the sufferings of the peo- 



CO EMPLOYMENT OF BLOOD-HOUNDS. 

pie of Florida from their savage neighbours were not appre- 
ciated, and where on the other the real agency of the blood- 
hounds was not understood. An inquiry into the matter having 
been instituted by Congress, it appeared that the local govern- 
ment of Florida originated the measure, and that the War 
Department had no share in it. It also appeared, and the 
public mind was afterwards fully satisfied on the point, that 
the dogs were employed not to destroy, nor even to harass, 
the Indians, but simply to follow their trails and indicate their 
hiding-places. Even for this purpose they were soon found 
incompetent, and the use of them was discontinued after a 
brief trial. But it is not the less expedient to show here by 
positive testimony in what mode and to what extent they were 
used, and what were the circumstances which induced an ex- 
periment, the naked mention of which seems to prove it incon- 
sistent with humanity and the laws of civilized warfare. 

A correspondence on this subject was submitted by the Sec- 
retary of War to the Chairman of the Committee of Military 
Affairs in the United States Senate, showing that the introduc- 
tion of the dogs into Florida was made by the authorities of 
that territory, and that they were to be used " as guides to dis- 
cover the lurking-places of the Indians, and not to worry or 
destroy them." The Secretary further stated that the impor- 
tation of the animals was made by the Governor and Council 
of Florida without consultation with the War Department, 
which was ignorant of the intention until after their arrival. It 
was the intention to use them muzzled and secured by leashes 
held by the keepers. This declaration of the Secretary was 
confirmed by General Taylor himself, who said in a letter to 
the Department, that the object in employing the dogs was 
" only to ascertain where the Indians could be found — not to 
injure them." This fact being apparent, it is only necessary 
to show under what circumstances the introduction of such 
aids was suggested, to prove that the measure was not only 
undeserving censure, but that if it could have accomplished 
its object, it was demanded by every consideration of justice 



BARBARITY OF THE INDIANS. 61 

and humanity, regarding the long-suffering inhabitants of the 
Florida frontiers. 

It was not until these people, engaged in the peaceful cares 
of their plantations, had been exposed for five years to the 
loss of property and life at the hands of the Indians, and when 
every attempt at conciliation had failed, and every exertion 
of force proved abortive, that the assistance of dogs, less fero- 
cious than the Indians themselves, was essayed to discover 
and subdue them. The journals of the period are burdened 
with accounts of the ruin and murder which they visited upon 
their unoffending neighbours. A few examples may serve to 
prove to what grievous extremities the latter were reduced. 

In the spring of 1839, strenuous efforts were made to con- 
clude a peace with the Indians. Negotiations had been en- 
tered into with their chiefs, and their country enjoyed at the 
hands of our troops the protection of a white flag. It was 
under these circumstances that the residence of Mr. Edmund 
Gray, a respectable citizen of Jefferson county, was attacked 
by one of their marauding parties. While sitting in his house, 
after dark, with his children around him, himself and one of 
them, an infant in years, were shot. Another child, attempting 
to fly, was also shot. A third was knocked down with a mus- 
ket and pierced with bayonet wounds. The fourth, a little 
girl, and only remaining member of the family, escaped to tell 
the tale of its slaughter, in which thirty savages took part. 

In the same vicinity, two dwellings of another citizen pre- 
sented a scene of similar barbarities ; and after the murder of 
the inmates, the houses were burnt to the ground. 

At another settlement, the head of the family was wounded 
and his little boy killed. Three children of a planter, in his 
absence from home, were butchered. A respectable widow 
lady and her five children shared the same fate, and other 
families escaping from their ruined homes, were thrown desti- 
tute upon the charity of distant friends. 

The contemporaneous narratives of these and other atrocities 
present them in the most impressive light, and a few extracts 
are pertinent to the purpose of demonstrating the deplorable 
6 



62 FURTHER EXAMPLES. 

condition of families exposed to the treachery and cruelty of 
the enemy. The following is from the Tallahassee Star of 
July, 1S39. 

" On Saturday night, between nine and ten o'clock, the 
family of Mr. Green Chairs, about ten miles from town, was 
attacked by the Indians. Mrs. Chairs was sitting by the 
table, sewing, surrounded by her interesting family, consisting 
of her husband and six children. An Indian rifle was fired, 
and Mrs. Chairs fell dead. Mr. Chairs instantly sprang up, 
and seizing his rifle, closed the doors and windows, and de- 
termined to defend his dwelling. He directed the four elder 
children to make their escape by the back door. One of them, 
young lady of seventeen, was seen and pursued by the sa- 
vages, but, wearing a dark cloak, she was enabled to conceal 
herself in some bushes. Mr. Chairs, at the same time, dis- 
covered that the house had been fired ; and, so rapid was the 
progress of the flames, that this new danger, and the conster- 
nation produced by the death of his wife, caused him to for- 
get his two youngest children. He fled, leaving them ; — and 
both, helpless infants,* were burnt to cinders, with his dwelling, 
and all else that it contained. Information of this horrid trans- 
action reached our city during the night." 

The same journal relates this incident. " Two wagons left 
Fort Frank Brooke on Monday, and, after proceeding a short 
distance, they were fired upon, by Indians, from a hammock, 
and two men killed. The body of one was afterwards found, 
honibly mutilated, with the eyes dug out, the throat cut, and 
otherwise disfigured. The body of the other could not be 
found." At this time, a " Treaty" was supposed to be in 
force with the Indians. In the same month, the faithless and 
vindictive barbarians butchered a portion of Colonel Harney's 
command, under circumstances thus narrated by a correspond- 
ent of the National Gazette : 

" On the 28th of July, four dragoons, two wounded, arrived 
here, (Garey's Ferry, East Florida,) and reported the massacre 
of a large part of Colonel Harney's command, who were sent 
to the Caloosahatchce to establish a trading-house, in con- 



MORE OUTRAGES. 63 

formity with Macomb's Treaty. The Indians had, for some 
time, manifested the most friendly dispositions, daily visiting 
the camp, and trading with the sutler. So completely^had 
they lulled the troops into security, that no defence was 
erected, and no guard maintained. The camp was on the 
margin of the river. At dawn, on the 23d of July, the enemy 
made a simultaneous attack on the camp and the trading-house. 
Those who escaped their first discharge fled naked to the river, 
and effected their escape in some fishing-smacks. Colonel 
Harney was among them. The serjeant, and four others, 
while descending the river, were called to the shore by a well- 
known Indian, who spoke English perfectly, with the assurance 
that they would not be harmed. They complied, and were 
instantly butchered. Altogether, eighteen were killed. Colo- 
nel Harney afterwards cautiously approached the spot, and 
found eleven bodies shockingly mutilated, and two hundred 
and fifty Indians, in the neighbourhood, dancing and whoop- 
ing in savage triumph." 

A correspondent of the Army and Navy Chronicle wrote, 
as follows, from Fort King, under date of the 6th of September, 
1S39. 

" I am sorry to say, that the Florida war is far from being 
ended. Hardly a week passes without some outrages by the 
Indians. A party of volunteers, bathing in Orange lake a few 
days ago, were attacked, and one of them killed. An express 
rider was shot on the road, and his body mutilated. I could 
enumerate a thousand instances of Indian murders since the 
*« treaty." When I saw them receiving presents at this post, 
I was disgusted to think we were shaking hands with men 
whose blood-stained hands and treacherous looks denoted 
anything but peaceable intentions." 

One other example of this relentless hate may close this 
subject. It is from the Charleston Mercury of August, 1840. 

" By the schooner Empire, Capt. Southwick, we have re- 
ceived St. Augustine papers of the 21st inst., from which we 
copy the following account of the butchery at Indian Key, 
which varies in some particulars from that already published. 



64 ATTACK ON INDIAN KEY. 

" The steamer Santee, Captain Poinsett, arrived on Wednes- 
day morning from the south, bringing passengers the family of 
Dr. Perrine, late of Indian Key. She brought in tow, from 
New Smyrna, the steamer Wm. Gaston, which boat had sus- 
tained injury some time since. 

» It becomes again our mournful duty to record the success- 
ful effusion of blood in this ill-fated territory, and the trium- 
phant accomplishment, on the part of the Indians, of an ad- 
venture bordering on romance. Indian Key, a small spot of 
not over seven acres in extent, and situated a short distance in 
advance, midway between old and new Matacomba Key, 
about thirty miles from the main land, and on our Southern 
Atlantic coast, was invested by seventeen boats containing In- 
dians ; seven of its inhabitants murdered, the island plundered, 
and its buildings burnt. i 

"About two o'clock on the morning of the 7th inst., a Mr. 
Glass, in the employ of Mr. Houseman, happening to be up, 
saw boats approaching, and informed a person in the same 
employ, when they passed into Mr. Houseman's garden, and 
were satisfied that they were boats containing Indians. The 
Indians commenced their firing upon the house of Mr. House- 
man and Dr. Perrine ; the former of whom, with his family, 
and that of Mr. Charles Howe and his family, succeeded in 
escaping to boats, and crossed over to Teatable Key. The 
family of Dr. Perrine passed through a trap- door into their 
bathing-room, from whence they got into the turtle crawl, and 
by great effort removed the logs and escaped to the front of 
Houseman's store. They then went to a boat at the wharf, which 
six Indians (all who remained) had partly filled, and were in 
the store after a further supply. They then pushed off and 
pulled with an oar, a paddle and poles towards the Medium. 
They were met by a boat when they had rowed a mile, and 
taken to the schooner. 

"Mr. Motte and wife, and Mrs. Johnson, a lady of seventy 
years of age, fled into an out-house, from whence Mrs. Motte 
was dragged by an Indian, and while in the act of calling on 
her husband, "John, save me!" she was killed. Mr. Motte 



BARBARITY OF THE INDIANS. 61 

and humanity, regarding the long-suffering inhabitants of the 
Florida frontiers. 

It was not until these people, engaged in the peaceful cares 
of their plantations, had been exposed for five years to the 
loss of property and life at the hands of the Indians, and when 
every attempt at conciliation had failed, and every exertion 
of force proved abortive, that the assistance of dogs, less fero- 
cious than the Indians themselves, was essayed to discover 
and subdue them. The journals of the period are burdened 
with accounts of the ruin and murder which they visited upon 
their unoffending neighbours. A few examples may serve to 
prove to what grievous extremities the latter were reduced. 

In the spring of 1839, strenuous efforts were made to con- 
clude a peace with the Indians. Negotiations had been en- 
tered into with their chiefs, and their country enjoyed at the 
hands of our troops the protection of a white flag. It was 
under these circumstances that the residence of Mr. Edmund 
Gray, a respectable citizen of Jefferson county, was attacked 
by one of their marauding parties. While sitting in his house, 
after dark, with his children around him, himself and one of 
them, an infant in years, were shot. Another child, attempting 
to fly, was also shot. A third was knocked down with a mus- 
ket and pierced with bayonet wounds. The fourth, a little 
girl, and only remaining member of the family, escaped to tell 
the tale of its slaughter, in which thirty savages took part. 

In the same vicinity, two dwellings of another citizen pre- 
sented a scene of similar barbarities ; and after the murder of 
the inmates, the houses were burnt to the ground. 

At another settlement, the head of the family was wounded 
and his little boy killed. Three children of a planter, in his 
absence from home, were butchered. A respectable widow 
lady and her five children shared the same fate, and other 
families escaping from their ruined homes, were thrown desti- 
tute upon the charity of distant friends. 

The contemporaneous narratives of these and other atrocities 
present them in the most impressive light, and a few extracts 
are pertinent to the purpose of demonstrating the deplorable 
6 



62 FURTHER EX A RIFLES. 

condition of families exposed to the treachery and cruelty of 
the enemy. The following is from the Tallahassee Star ofl 
July, 1839. 

" On Saturday .night, between nine and ten o'clock, thet 
family of Mr. Green Chairs, about ten miles from town, wass 
attacked by the Indians. Mrs. Chairs was sitting by the: 
table, sewing, surrounded by her interesting family, consisting; 
of her husband and six children. An Indian rifle was fired,, 
and Mrs. Chairs fell dead. Mr. Chairs instantly sprang up,, 
and seizing his rifle, closed the doors and windows, and de- 
termined to defend his dwelling. He directed the four elder ' 
children to make their escape by the back door. One of them, 
young lady of seventeen, was seen and pursued by the sa- 
vages, but, wearing a dark cloak, she was enabled to conceal 
herself in some bushes. Mr. Chairs, at the same time, dis- 
covered that the house had been fired ; and, so rapid was the 
progress of the flames, that this new danger, and the conster- 
nation produced by the death of his wife, caused him to for- 
get his two youngest children. He fled, leaving them ; — and 
both, helpless infants, were burnt to cinders, with his dwelling, 
and all else that it contained. Information of this horrid trans- 
action reached our city during the night." 

The same journal relates this incident. " Two wagons left 
Fort Frank Brooke on Monday, and, after proceeding a short 
distance, they were fired upon, by Indians, from a hammock, 
and two men killed. The body of one was afterwards found, 
hoiribly mutilated, with the eyes dug out, the throat cut, and 
otherwise disfigured. The body of the other could not be 
found." At this time, a " Treaty" was supposed to be in 
force with the Indians. In the same month, the faithless and 
vindictive barbarians butchered a portion of Colonel Harney's 
command, under circumstances thus narrated by a correspond- 
ent of the National Gazette : 

" On the 28th of July, four dragoons, two wounded, arrived 
here, (Garey's Ferry, East Florida,) and reported the massacre 
of a large part of Colonel Harney's command, who were sent 
to the Caloosahatchee to establish a trading-house, in con- 



ANNEXATION OF TEXAS. 71 

ears, she heard not. But, like a hot-tempered child, who 
cries and throws about his limbs for the toy which he has wil- 
fully broken, she continued to exclaim, and to brandish her 
arms, while the world looked piteously or contemptuously upon 
the futile exhibition. 

Texas, feeling conscious of ability to maintain her sove- 
reignty, proceeded to organize a government based upon that 
of the United States. Ambitious, however, of accomplishing 
in a lustre the work of a generation, her financial affairs became 
embarrassed, and her sagacious people, to repair the error, 
soon agitated the question of annexation with the American 
Union. A proposition, to this effect, was rejected, as involv- 
ing bad faith with Mexico, which still asserted authority over 
the revolted province, and promised, from time to time, to re- 
duce it to subjection. A state of nominal war existed, without 
any act to prove its reality. 

From year to year, the question was agitated in the United 
States, with increasing warmth, — the party opposed to it main- 
taining a majority in Congress. Mexico, at last, seriously 
fearing the consummation, consented conditionally to acknow- 
ledge the independence of Texas. But the compliance yielded 
with so late and poor a grace, failed of its object. The act of 
annexation was confirmed, by Congress, on the 1st day of 
March, 1845 ; and thus, ten years from the time that Texas 
first raised an arm to repel the force of a despotic Mexican, 
she was lost to Mexico forever. When the consummation of 
the act became known to the latter, the resolution was avowed 
of resisting it, and preparations for subjugating the country 
north of the Rio Grande were declared anew. Preliminary 
measures had already been adopted under apprehensions of 
the event, which then became certain. The Mexican forces, 
on the right of that river, had been increased, and Monterey, 
Matamoros, and Mier, placed in a better condition of defence. 

The limits, if not the objects, of this work forbid any dis- 
cussion, receiving its tone from attachment to a political party, 
of the immediate causes of the war between the United States 
and Mexico. It is a clear proposition that the safety and inde 



72 TAYLOR ORDERED TO TEXAS. 

pendence of any nation at war with another, are closely allied 
with the implicit obedience of its professional soldiery to the 
orders of their government. Whenever a general may pause 
to consider the policy of a contest, in which he is directed to 
take part by the civil power to which he is subordinate, reliance 
upon the appeal to arms for protection from a foreign state is 
at an end. The military power is then ascendant at home, and 
liberty is lost. The patriotic and consistent commander has a 
single and simple duty to perform — to follow the instructions 
and accomplish the purposes of his government. He cannot 
look behind such instructions, being conformable to the rules 
of civilized warfare, nor can others do so in judging his char- 
acter and conduct. 

It is undeniable that a large portion, probably a majority, 
of the people of the United States have been from the first 
opposed to the war with Mexico, and to most of the federal 
measures which led to it. But there can be few, however 
earnest in their condemnation of the government, who do not 
justly draw the distinction between its acts and responsibility, 
and those of the men who have been entrusted with the occu- 
pation and invasion of the territory over which Mexico still 
asserts her sovereignty. It may be said particularly of General 
Taylor, that the war in its inception found no favour in his 
eyes. He was selected, however, to take the field in the out- 
set, and before war had been declared, or any act of hostility 
committed on either side. From that moment he has been 
devoted to the one object of reducing the enemy to terms of 
peace. 

In May, 1845, General Taylor was instructed by the Secre- 
tary of War to have the forces under his command, or which 
might be assigned to it, put into a position where they might 
most promptly and efficiently act in defence of Texas in the 
event of such action becoming necessary. The instructions 
of the Department under this date were confidential, and were 
so worded as to imply clearly an apprehension, that the conse- 
quence of the annexation of Texas might be a collision with 
Mexico. The Secretary stated, that as soon as the Texan 



INSTITUTIONS OF MEXICO. 69 

To the letter of invitation, Gen. Taylor made answer, that 
under ordinary circumstances it would have afforded him great 
pleasure to accept the invitation ; but having been already de- 
tained on his journey to the frontier an unusual length of time, 
he did not feel authorized to make, on his own account, any 
delay whatever. He was, therefore, compelled to decline the 
proffered hospitality. In concluding his reply, he gave assur- 
ances of his best exertions to secure the object of his command 
on the frontier. Time proved to what extent, then so unfor- 
seen, he redeemed the pledge. Five years elapsed before the 
occasion was presented of varying the monotonous routine of 
military duty incident to national peace. The events of that 
and a previous period, tending to a breach of that condition, 
may be glanced at, as properly introductory to the new and 
grand drama of the war between the United States and Mexico, 
in which General Taylor has acted a most illustrious part. 

Mexico, after a struggle worthy of the highest destiny, to 
free herself from the rule of Spain, succeeded, in 1822, in es- 
tablishing her independence. Had the eyes of her revolution- 
ary chieftains been turned towards the United States, then 
peaceful, and prospering under a political system tested for 
nearly half a century, they might have learned the secret of 
popular self-government, and have founded her nationality 
upon a secure and beneficent basis. But it was her misfortune 
to have many Arnolds, and many Burrs, but no Hamiltons, no 
Washingtons. Rejecting the principle of religious equality 
and rights, which the framers of the American Constitution held 
essential to its vitality, and forgetting the judicial safeguards 
of personal liberty, the authors of her independent government 
wrought it to an imperfect form, but breathed into it no living 
soul. Inconsistent with abstract justice, it could gain no per- 
manent favour with the intelligence of the enlightened few, or 
the affections of the ignorant mass. Wanting the prestige of 
time, and unequal to the test of brief experiment, it became 
the puppet of political charlatans, quarrelling for the honour 
and the profit of the exhibition, and each in turn leaving it 
more and more abused, broken, contemptible, and worthless. 



70 REVOLT OF TEXAS. 

Among the provinces of Mexico, which regarded with early 
aversion the anti-republican features of her constitution, and 
the tyranny of the men who governed in its name, was Texas; 
at first, the least significant in wealth or population. Its citi- 
zens, in 1833, sought admission into the Mexican Union as a 
sovereign state, and, with that view, sent a commissioner to 
the federal government. Failing to obtain any answer to the 
application, the commissioner advised his fellow-citizens of 
Texas to organize a state irrespective of its authority. The 
letter containing this suggestion was disclosed to the go- 
vernment ; and its author, while returning to his constituents, 
was seized, and imprisoned for many months, without infor- 
mation of the cause of his arrest. The wrong to him, was felt 
to be equally a wrong to them. Mexico, by her weak and 
wicked rulers, instead of pruning discontent in Texas with a 
gentle hand, scattered the seeds of hatred, which sprang up with 
magic vigour, soon overshadowing her own name and strength. 
Less than two years after the outrage committed upon the Texan 
envoy, the administration of Mexico was in the hands of a 
military despot. The local government of her states was an- 
nihilated by a formal decree, and the institution of central 
tyranny asserted under the auspices of twenty thousand mus- 
kets. A minister of the new rule, with a due proportion of 
these aids, appeared in Texas to confirm its virtue. The 
menace of arms was met by arms. On the 27th of Septem- 
ber, when the brightness of a southern summer was departing 
before the mists of autumn, their first clash was heard ; and, 
from that day, the glory and the power of Mexico departed 
from Texas. The assaulted province drove the invaders, 
beaten and disgraced, from her borders. Her cause invited 
adventurous spirits from the United States. Texas declared 
herself free and independent. Mexico, with her best general, 
and thousands of her veteran troops, advanced upon the infant 
republic, resolved upon its ruin. But the boast was vain, the 
effort abortive. Alamo told how the soldiers of Texas could 
die ; San Jacinto how they could conquer. Still Mexico 
learned not wisdom. Having eyes, she saw not ; having 



ANNEXATION OF TEXAS. 71 

ears, she heard not. But, like a hot-tempered child, who 
cries and throws about his limbs for the toy which he has wil- 
fully broken, she continued to exclaim, and to brandish her 
arms, while the world looked piteously or contemptuously upon 
the futile exhibition. 

Texas, feeling conscious of ability to maintain her sove- 
reignty, proceeded to organize a government based upon that 
of the United States. Ambitious, however, of accomplishing 
in a lustre the work of a generation, her financial affairs became 
embarrassed, and her sagacious people, to repair the error, 
soon agitated the question of annexation with the American 
Union. A proposition, to this effect, was rejected, as involv- 
ing bad faith with Mexico, which still asserted authority over 
the revolted province, and promised, from time to time, to re- 
duce it to subjection. A state of nominal war existed, without 
any act to prove its reality. 

From year to year, the question was agitated in the United 
States, with increasing warmth, — the party opposed to it main- 
taining a majority in Congress. Mexico, at last, seriously 
fearing the consummation, consented conditionally to acknow- 
ledge the independence of Texas. But the compliance yielded 
with so late and poor a grace, failed of its object. The act of 
annexation was confirmed, by Congress, on the 1st day of 
March, 1845 ; and thus, ten years from the time that Texas 
first raised an arm to repel the force of a despotic Mexican, 
she was lost to Mexico forever. When the consummation of 
the act became known to the latter, the resolution was avowed 
of resisting it, and preparations for subjugating" the country 
north of the Rio Grande were declared anew. Preliminary 
measures had already been adopted under apprehensions of 
the event, which then became certain. The Mexican forces, 
on the right of that river, had been increased, and Monterey, 
Matamoros, and Mier, placed in a better condition of defence. 

The limits, if not the objects, of this work forbid any dis- 
cussion, receiving its tone from attachment to a political party, 
of the immediate causes of the war between the United States 
and Mexico. It is a clear proposition that the safety and inde 



72 TAYLOR ORDERED TO TEXAS. 

pendence of any nation at war with another, are closely allied 
with the implicit obedience of its professional soldiery to the 
orders of their government. Whenever a general may pause 
to consider the policy of a contest, in which he is directed to 
take part by the civil power to which he is subordinate, reliance 
upon the appeal to arms for protection from a foreign state is 
at an end. The military power is then ascendant at home, and 
liberty is lost. The patriotic and consistent commander has a 
single and simple duty to perform — to follow the instructions 
and accomplish the purposes of his government. He cannot 
look behind such instructions, being conformable to the rules 
of civilized warfare, nor can others do so in judging his char- 
acter and conduct. 

It is undeniable that a large portion, probably a majority, 
of the people of the United States have been from the first 
opposed to the war with Mexico, and to most of the federal 
measures which led to it. But there can be few, however 
earnest in their condemnation of the government, who do not 
justly draw the distinction between its acts and responsibility, 
and those of the men who have been entrusted with the occu- 
pation and invasion of the territory over which Mexico still 
asserts her sovereignty. It may be said particularly of General 
Taylor, that the war in its inception found no favour in his 
eyes. He was selected, however, to take the field in the out- 
set, and before war had been declared, or any act of hostility 
committed on either side. From that moment he has been 
devoted to the one object of reducing the enemy to terms of 
peace. 

In May, 1845, General Taylor was instructed by the Secre- 
tary of War to have the forces under his command, or which 
might be assigned to it, put into a position where they might 
most promptly and efficiently act in defence of Texas in the 
event of such action becoming necessary. The instructions 
of the Department under this date were confidential, and were 
so worded as to imply clearly an apprehension, that the conse- 
quence of the annexation of Texas might be a collision with 
Mexico. The Secretary stated, that as soon as the Texan 



INSTRUCTIONS OF GOVERNMENT. 73 

Congress should assent to the act, and a convention should as- 
semble and accept the terras offered in the joint annexation 
resolutions of the Congress of the United States, Texas would 
be regarded " as part of the United States, so far as to be en- 
titled from this government a defence from foreign invasion 
and Indian incursions." General Taylor was accordingly di- 
rected to keep his command in readiness for this duty. The 
anticipation of difficulty with Mexico was further indicated by in- 
structions to General Taylor to open a correspondence with the 
authorities of Texas, or any diplomatic agent of the United 
States residing therein, with a view to information and advice 
in respect to the common Indian enemy, " as well as to any 
foreign power ;" and also to employ his forces in defence of 
the Texan territory, if invaded by " a foreign power," and to 
expel the invaders. 

General Taylor was thus apprised of the service which might 
be expected of him. In July of the same year, 1845, he was 
informed by the War Department, that the acceptance by Texas 
of the terms of annexation would probably be formally made 
by the Congress of that Republic on the 4th of that month, and 
in anticipation of that event, he was instructed to make an 
immediate forward movement, with the troops under his com- 
mand, and advance to the mouth of the Sabine, or to such 
other point on the gulf of Mexico, or its navigable waters, as 
might be most convenient for an embarkation, at the proper 
time, for the western frontier of Texas. 

The most expeditious route was recommended. The force 
named for this duty was the 3d and 4th regiments of infantry, 
and seven companies of the 2d regiment of dragoons. Two 
companies of the 4th infantry were ordered to join their regi- 
ments. The artillery was ordered from New Orleans. 

The ultimate point, then mentioned, of Taylor's destination, 
was the western frontier of Texas, on, or near, the Rio 
Grande del Norte, where he was ordered to select and occupy 
such a site as would consist with the health of the troops, and 
be best adapted to repel invasion, and to protect what, in the 
7 



74 EMBARCATION FOR TEXAS. 

event of annexation, would be the western border. The de- 
fence of the territory of Texas was defined as the limit of his 
action, unless Mexico should declare war against the United 
States. 

These movements to the gulf of Mexico, and the preparations 
to embark for the western frontier of Texas, were ordered to 
be made without any delay : but a landing was not to be ef- 
fected, on that frontier, until the due acceptance of Texas, of 
the proffered terms of annexation, had been ascertained. 

In reply to inquiries by General Taylor of the War Depart- 
ment respecting the position he should take, he was directed, 
generally, to be governed by circumstances, to avoid all ag- 
gressive measures, and to hold his force ready to protect the 
territory of Texas " to the extent that it had been occupied by 
the people of Texas." The Rio Grande was indicated, by 
the secretary, as the boundary between Mexico and Texas, to 
which the Army of Occupation was to approach, as nearly as 
prudence would permit. For this purpose, it was necessary to 
pass the Nueces. 

A letter from the department, dated in the following month, 
contains this passage : 

" Should Mexico assemble a large body of troops, on the 
Rio Grande, and cross it with a considerable force, such a 
movement must be regarded as an invasion of the United 
States, and the commencement of hostilities. You will, of 
course, use all the authority which has been, or may be, given 
you, to meet such a state of things. Texas must be protected 
from hostile invasion, and for that purpose, you will of course 
employ, to the utmost extent, all the means you possess, or 
can command." 

At the same time that these instructions were sent to Gene- 
ral Taylor, a naval force was despatched to the gulf of Mexico 
to aid him in any hostile operations which might occur. To 
this result, affairs were rapidly tending. 

Pursuant to these instructions, General Taylor proceeded, in 
July, 1845, to New Orleans, whence he embarked, with a 



THE A It M V A T b O It 1* U S C II R I S T [ . ?"> 

force of fifteen hundred men, and arrived, early in the following 
month, at St. Joseph's Island. From this point, lie embarked 
again for Corpus Christi, where he established his head quar- 
ters. In September, an enquiry was made by the United 
States' consul at Mexico, under authority of the government, 
whether a minister would be received, by Mexico, with powers 
to settle all points in dispute between the two countries. A 
favourable answer was received, and the minister was ap- 
pointed. On his arrival at the Mexican capital, a revolution, 
headed by Paredes, was in progress, which proved successful. 
The new government refused to acknowledge the American' 
envoy, except as a special agent. The consequence was the 
abandonment of negotiations through this medium. Pending 
this attempt at a peaceable adjustment of difficulties, the 
winter had passed, General Taylor remaining encamped at 
Corpus Christi. He had been reinforced, soon after his ar- 
rival, by seven companies of the 7th Infantry, under Major 
Brown, and two companies of volunteer artillery, under Major 
Gaily, with eight field-pieces. On the 8th of March, 1846, 
the camp at Corpus Christi was broken up, and the advance, 
of the army, consisting of Major Ringgold's Light Artillery, 
and the cavalry, the whole commanded by Colonel Twiggs, 
took up the line of march for Matamoras. On the three ensu- 
ing days, the brigades of infantry followed. The siege-train, 
and a field-battery, were sent by water to Point Isabel, wiih a 
corps of engineers, and the officers of ordnance, under the 
command of Major Munroe. 

As the correspondence of General Taylor, while in com- 
mand of the Army of Occupation, is necessary not only to a 
clear understanding of his views and early movements, but to 
afford that just exposition of his character, which is essential 
to a faithful biography, the annexed letters and despatches to 
the Adjutant General, are inserted in their proper order. Con- 
nected with the preceding narrative, they require no comment. 



76 gen. Taylor's despatches. 

Head-Quarters 1st Military Department. 
New Orleans, La., July 20, 1845. 

Sir : I respectfully acknowledge your communication of 
July 8, covering the instructions of the Secretary of War of the 
same date, relative to the Mexican settlements on this side of 
the Rio Grande. Those instructions will be closely obeyed ; 
and the department may rest assured that I will take no step 
to interrupt the friendly relations between the United States 
and Mexico. I am gratified at receiving these instructions, as 
they confirm my views, previously communicated, in regard to 
the proper line to be occupied at present by our troops. 

I am sir very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 



Head-Quarters Army of Occupation. 
Steamship Alabama, Aransas Pass, 

Texas, July 28, 1845. 

Sir : I respectfully report my arrival at this place on the 25th 
instant, with eight companies of the 3d infantry, it having been 
found necessary to leave two companies of that regiment, to 
be brought over in other transports. 

The troops are temporarily established on St. Joseph's Island. 
I am waiting the report of a boat expedition sent to Corpus 
Christi Bay before I determine on the site of an enoampment. 
I hope to receive the necessary information in the course of the 
day, when I shall immediately commence the removal of the 
3d infantry to the point selected. The position will probably 
be " Live Oak Point," in Aransas Bay, some ten miles from 
our present position. I am very anxious to establish myself at 
the mouth of the Neuces, but the extreme shoalness of the 
water will, I fear, present an insuperable obstacle, unless we 
can procure lighters of much lighter draught than those we 
have at present. 

The difficulties of effecting a debarcation on this coast, and 
of establishing depots for supplying the army, are much greater 



DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 77 

than I anticipated, and will render our operations at once em- 
barrassing and expensive. Between Pass Cavello and Brazos 
Santiago, there is no entrance for vessels drawing more than 
seven or eight feet ; and the prevailing winds render the opera- 
tion of lightening extremely uncertain and hazardous. We 
have been favoured with fine w T eather, and, should it continue, 
the other transports, which may now be expected, will be ena- 
bled to discharge without difficulty. 

We had a very favourable run from New Orleans ; and I am 
happy to state that the health of the command was greatly im- 
proved by the voyage. The eight companies have scarcely 
any sickness at this time. 

The day before leaving New Orleans, I received from Major 
Donelson a communication dated at Austin, on the 7th of July, 
informing me that the convention had unanimously accepted 
the proposition of annexation, and suggested that two compa- 
nies should be posted at Austin. I still deem it best to con- 
centrate my force until our relations with Mexico shall become 
settled, and until the country can be examined, and the best 
mode of supply ascertained. 

I hear nothing important from the Mexican frontier. Some 
Indian depredations are committed from time to time near Cor- 
pus Christi, and will claim my first attention after I can get 
established. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 



Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Corpus Christi, Texas, August 15, 1845. 

Sir: I have the honour to report that, by New Orleans 
papers of the 7th instant, I have received intelligence of the 
preparatory steps taken by Mexico towards a declaration of 
war against the United States. I shall spare no exertions to 
meet suitably this probable change in the relations between 
the two countries ; and the additional force ordered to join 



78 DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 

me, as announced in your communication of July 30, will, I 
trust, enable me to do something more than maintain a merely 
defensive attitude on the Neuces. This will depend upon the 
demonstrations made by Mexico along the Rio Grande, in re- 
gard to which the Secretary of War has solicited a report. I 
am enabled to say, upon information which is regarded as au- 
thentic, that General Arista was to leave Monterey on the 4th 
of this month for Matamoros with 1500 men — 500 being 
cavalry. I learn, from the same source, that there are 500 
regular troops at Matamoros. In regard to the force at other 
points on the Rio Grande, except the militia of the country, I 
have no information ; nor do I hear that the reported concen- 
tration at Matamoros is for any purpose of invasion. I have 
but just arrived at this place, and hope in a few days to be 
able to obtain more full and precise intelligence concerning the 
movements of the Mexicans. I shall not fail to communicate 
promptly to the department all such intelligence upon which I 
think reliance can be placed. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 



Head Quarters Army of Occupation, 
Corpus Christi, Texas, August 19, 1815. 

Sir : I respectfully enclose for the information of the depart- 
ment, a copy of a letter addressed by me to the president of 
Texas, and forwarded to him by special express on the 17th 
instant. I have deemed it proper to make this communication 
to President Jones, in consequence of the desire manifested by 
the authorities of Texas to have a garrison established at once 
at Austin. As I cannot consent to detach any portion of m) r 
command while a superior Mexican force is probably concen- 
trating in my front, and as I still feel bound to extend every 
assistance compatible with a successful prosecution of the main 
object of the expedition, towards putting the frontier in a suita- 
ble state of defence, I have judged it prudent to make the sug- 



DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 79 

gestions and recommendations which you will find in the en- 
closed letter. Trusting that they will meet the approbation of 
the War Department, 

I remain, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 
The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 



Head Quarters Army of Occupation, 
Corpus Christi, Texas, August 30, 1845. 

Sir : I respectfully report the arrival at this point of seven 
companies of the 7th infantry under Major Brown, and two 
companies of volunteer artillery under Major Gaily. Major 
Seawell's company, I am informed, was ordered back to Baton 
Rouge by General Gaines, and some small detachments of that 
regiment were also left at several posts. I have retained one 
company as a guard for the depot at St. Joseph Island. 

The battalion of volunteer artillery has a fine battery of eight 
pieces — two twelves and six sixes, completely equipped in 
every respect. The officers are zealous, and the men seem to 
be quite well instructed in their duties. In case of need, I 
look for valuable service from this battalion. 

I have just received a communication from President Jones, 
under date of the 23d instant, notifying me that he had taken 
preparatory steps towards organizing a volunteer force of 1000 
men to assist me if necessary. This matter will form the sub- 
ject of a special communication to your office in a few days. 

Apprehending that the erroneous impressions current in 
New Orleans in regard to our situation, might induce Gene- 
ral Gaines to order the muster of a battalion or brigade of 
infantry, I addressed a communication to his staff officer by the 
steamship Alabama, expressing my thanks for the reinforce- 
ment of the volunteer battalion of artillery, but with the hope 
that no more volunteers would be sent without a requisition 
from me. That communication will reach New Orleans to 
night or to-morrow, in time, I trust, to stop the employment 
of any more volunteers. 



80 DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 

We have no news from the Rio Grande. Idle stories are 
brought in from that quarter, but with the means of accurate 
information which we now possess, I do not deem it necessary 
to repeat them. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 



Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Corpus Christi, Texas, October 4, 1845. 

Sir : I beg leave to suggest some considerations in relation 
to the present position of our force, and the dispositions which 
may become necessary for the more effectual prosecution of the 
objects for which it has been concentrated. It will be recol- 
lected that the instructions of June 15, issued by Mr. Bancroft, 
then acting Secretary of War, directed me to « select and oc- 
cupy, on or near the Rio Grande, such a site as will consist 
with the health of the troops, and will be best adapted to repel 
invasion," &c. Brazos Santiago is the nearest entrance to the 
mouth of the Rio Grande ; and Point Isabel, within that en- 
trance, and twenty-one miles from Matamoros, would have ful- 
filled more completely than any other position the conditions 
imposed by the Secretary. But we had no artillery, no engi- 
neer force or appliances, and but a moderate amount of in- 
fantry ; and the occupation of Point Isabel, under these cir- 
cumstances, and with at least the possibility of resistance from 
the Mexicans, might have compromised the safety of the com- 
mand. I therefore determined to take up the next accessible 
position in the rear, which is the mouth of the Neuces river. 
All the information which I could obtain before leaving New 
Orleans, seemed to point to Corpus Christi as the most suitable 
point for concentration ; and, although before the President's 
instructions of July 30 reached me, I would have preferred a 
position on the left bank of the river, yet a careful examination 
of (he country had already convinced me that none could be 
found combining so many advantages as this. Every day's 



DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 81 

experience has confirmed these impressions. Corpus Christi 
is healthy, easily supplied, and well situated to hold in obser- 
vation the course of the Rio Grande from Matamoros to La- 
redo — being about 150 miles from several points on the river. 
I have reason to believe, moreover, that a salutary moral effect 
has been exercised upon the Mexicans. Their traders are con- 
tinually carrying home the news of our position and increasing 
numbers, and are confessedly struck by the spectacle of a large 
camp of well-appointed and disciplined troops, accompanied 
by perfect security to their persons and property, instead of the 
impressment and pillage to which they are subject in their own 
country. For these reasons, our position thus far has, I think, 
been the best possible ; but, now that the entire force will soon 
be concentrated, it may well be a question whether the views 
of government will be best carried out by our remaining at 
this point. It is with great deference that I make any sugges- 
tions on topics which may become matter of delicate negotia- 
tion : but if our government, in settling the question^ of 
boundary, makes the line of the Rio Grande an ultimatum, I 
cannot doubt that the settlement will be greatly facilitated and 
hastened by our taking possession at once of one or two suita- 
ble points on or quite near that river. Our strength and state 
of preparation should be displayed in a manner not to be mis- 
taken. However salutary may be the effect produced upon 
the border people by our presence here, we are too far from 
the frontier to impress the government of Mexico with our 
readiness to vindicate, by force of arms, if necessary, our title 
to the country as far as the Rio Grande. The " army of oc- 
cupation" will, in a few days, be concentrated at this point, in 
condition for vigorous and efficient service. Mexico having 
as yet made no positive declaration of war, or committed any 
overt act of hostilities, I do not feel at liberty, under my in- 
structions, particularly those of July 8, to make a forward 
movement to the Rio Grande without authority from the War 
Department. 

In case a forward movement should be ordered or author- 
ized, I would recommend the occupation of Point Isabel and 



82 DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 

Laredo, as best adapted to the purposes of observing the 
course of the ri>er, and covering the frontier settlements of 
Texas. Point Isabel is accessible by water, and can be safely 
occupied by two brigades of infantry, with a suitable force of 
field artillery. On the arrival of the steamer Harney, I shall 
order a careful reconnoissance of Brazos Santiago, as a neces- 
sary preliminary measure to the occupation of Point Isabel. 
To occupy Laredo will require a land march from this point. 
Supplies may probably be transported by water as high as San 
Patricio, and possibly to the junction of the Rio Frio with .the 
Nueces. I propose to establish a depot on the Nueces river, 
probably at the crossing of the San Antonia and Laredo road, 
- from which to operate towards the Rio Grande. You will 
perceive, from my "special orders" No. 24, that a reconnois- 
sance has been ordered in that direction. A brigade of in- 
fantry, with the cavalry, and a battery or two of field artillery, 
will be sufficient for the occupation of Laredo. That town is 
on the left bank of the Rio Grande, and possesses the military 
advantage of holding in observation the main route from the 
interior of Mexico through Monterey to Matamoros. 

In case it should be found impracticable to establish a suita- 
ble depot on the Nueces, the entire force, after strengthening 
San Antonia, might be thrown forward to Point Isabel, where 
it could be readily supplied, and held in readiness for any 
further service. 

I have deemed it my duty to make the above suggestions. 
Should they be favourably considered, and instructions based 
upon them, I will thank you to send the latter in duplicate to 
Lieutenant Colonel Hunt — one copy to be despatched direct, 
without delay ; the other to be sent via Galveston, should a 
steamer be running to that port from New Orleans. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 

P. S. — It is proper to add, that should any auxiliary force 
be required, I propose to draw it wholly from Texas. I do 



DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 83 

not conceive that it will become necessary, under any circum- 
stances, to call for volunteers from the United States. 

Z. T. 



Head Quarters, Army of Occupation, 
Corpus Christi, Texas, November 7, 1845. 

Sir : I respectfully enclose a copy of a letter from Commo- 
dore Conner, commanding the home squadron, which I received 
by the " Saratoga," sloop of war, on the 5th instant. The in- 
telligence communicated by the commodore will, doubtless, 
reach the seat of government long before the receipt of this 
letter. 

The communication from the Secretary of War, dated Oc- 
tober 16, was received and acknowledged on the 1st and 2d 
instant. I purposely deferred a detailed reply to the various 
points embraced in that communication until I could receive 
an answer to mine of October 4, which covered (at least in 
part) the same ground. The intelligence from Mexico, how- 
ever, tends to modify, in some degree, the views expressed in 
that communication. The position now occupied by the troops 
may, perhaps, be the best while negotiations are pending, or 
at any rate until a disposition shall be manifested by Mexico 
to protract them unreasonably. Under the supposition that 
such may be the view of the department, I shall make no move- 
ment from this point, except for the purpose of examining the 
country, until further instructions are received. You will per- 
ceive, from my orders, that reconnoissances are almost con- 
stantly in the field, the officers of engineers and topographical 
engineers rendering valuable service on those duties. I refer 
you to the reports made by those officers to the chiefs of their 
own bureaux for the information which is thus procured in re- 
lation to the country. An examination of the harbour of Bra- 
zos Santiago will be ordered in a few days — as soon as a proper 
^vessel shall become disposable for that service. 

In case no movement is made this season for the Rio Grande, 
I may land it necessary to detach a portion of the army a short 
distance into the interior, where wood can be more readily 
procured than here. But in no case do I deem it necessary to 



84 DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 

hut the troops. Sheds, with platforms, on which to pitch the 
tents, were extensively used in camps of position in Florida, 
and will, I cannot doubt, form a sufficient protection here. 

On the hypothesis of an early adjustment of the boundary, 
and the consequent establishment of permanent frontier posts, 
I cannot urge too strongly upon the department the necessity 
of occupying those posts before the warm weather shall set in. 
A large amount of sickness is, I fear, to be apprehended, with 
every precaution that can be taken ; but the information which 
I obtain leads me to believe that a summer movement would 
be attended with great expense of health and life. As in Flo- 
rida, the winter is the best season for operations in Texas. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Corpus Christi, Texas, February 4, 1846. 

Sir : I respectfully acknowledge the communication of the 
Secretary of War, dated January 13th, and containing the in- 
structions of the President to move forward with my force to 
the Rio Grande. I shall lose no time in making the necessary 
preparations for carrying out those instructions. 

The occupation of Point Isabel or Brazos Santiago as a 
depot will be indispensable. That point, and a position on or 
near the river opposite Matamoros, will, I think, answer all 
present purposes. At any rate, I shall not separate my force 
further until the position of affairs shall render it entirely safe 
to do so. 

I propose to abandon this position entirely, as soon after our 
march as the stores, hospital, &c, can be transferred to St. 
Joseph's Island. It will be necessary to keep up an establish- 
ment at that point for the present, although our supplies will 
come to Point Isabel direct from New Orleans. 

In reply to the call of the Secretary for information as to 
what means, if any, will be required " to enforce and maintain 
our common right to navigate" the Rio Grande, I would re- 



DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 85 

spectfully state that, until I reach the river and ascertain the 
condition of things in the frontier States of Mexico, temper of 
the people, &c, I cannot give any satisfactory answer to the 
question. I have every reason to believe that the people re- 
siding on the river are well disposed towards our government. 
Our advance to the Rio Grande will itself produce a powerful 
effect, and it may be that the common navigation of the river 
will not be disputed. It is very important to us, and'will be 
indispensable when posts are established higher up, as must 
ultimately be the case. 

I shall not call for any militia force in addition to what I 
already have, unless unforeseen circumstances shall render its 
employment necessary. 

I beg leave again to call the attention of the Department to 
the necessity of having our movement and position at Brazos 
Santiago covered by a small armed vessel. I deem this vitally 
important, and hope it will meet with favourable consideration. 

We have no news from the interior of Mexico more recent 
than that derived from the New Orleans papers of the 26th of 
January. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 



Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Corpus Christi, Texas, February 26, 1846. 

Sir : I have to report that the preparations for a forward 
movement of this command are now nearly completed. The 
examinations spoken of in my report of the 16th instant have 
shown the practicability of both routes — by the main land and 
by Padre Island. The reconnoissance of Padre Island ex- 
tended to its southern extremity, and included the harbour of 
Brazos Santiago and Point Isabel ; that of the main route 
reached to a point near the Little Colorado. A depot, with 
four days' forage, and subsistence for the army, will be thrown 
forward some forty miles, to the Santa Gertrudes. A detach- 
8 



86 DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 

ment of two companies, to establish and cover this depot, will 
march, on the 28th, under Brevet Major Graham. In about 
a week thereafter, say the 7th of March, the cavalry will march, 
to be followed, at intervals of one day, by the brigades of in- 
fantry. By the 25th of March, at latest, I hope to be in posi- 
tion on the Rio Grande. 

I have taken occasion to represent to some citizens of Mata- 
moros, who were here with a large number of mules for sale, 
and who are represented to have considerable influence at 
home, that the United States government, in occupying the Rio 
Grande, has no motive of hostility towards Mexico, and that 
the army will, in no case, go beyond the river, unless hostilities 
should be commenced by the Mexicans themselves ; that the 
Mexicans, living on this side, will not be disturbed in, any way 
by the troops ; that they will be protected in all their usages ; 
and that every thing which the army may need will be pur- 
chased from them at fair prices. I also stated that, until the 
matter should be finally adjusted between the two governments, 
the harbour of Brazos Santiago would be open to the free use 
of the Mexicans as heretofore. The same views were impressed 
upon the Mexican custom-house officer at Brazos Santiago by 
Captain Hardee, who commanded the escort which covered the 
reconnoissance of Padre Island. 

We are entirely without news of interest from the frontier, 
or the interior of Mexico, our latest date from the capital being 
the 21st of January, and the same from Vera Cruz. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 

These connected and lucid reports of General Taylor's views 
and acts, (luring the period that his head-quarters were estab- 
lished at Corpus Christi, supersede any other narrative. He 
had profited by the time to reduce his force to the most ad- 
mirable stafce of discipline ; to foster their esprit du corps, and 
especially by his frank and unaffected hearing, to inspire that 
confidence in himself w Inch contributed so largely to the bril- 
liant achievements of then' arms under his command. 



'i 



MARCH FROM CORPUS CHRISTI. 87 

% 



CHAPTER V. 

The March from Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande commenced — Face of the 
Country — Sufferings of the Troops — Mexican Demonstration — American 
Action — Point Isabel invested — The March resumed — Encampment on the Rio 
Grande — Conference rejected — Entrenchments commenced — Despatches 
of General Taylor — Ampudia's Magnanimity — A Deserter shot — Fort 

Brown Murder of Colonel Cross — Correspondence, Ampudia and Taylor — 

General Arista — Blockade of the Rio Grande — Correspondence on the Sub- 
ject — Mexicans crossing the River — Capture of Thornton's Command — 
Mexican Exultation — Manifesto of Arista — Point Isabel in Danger — Requi- 
sition for Volunteers — Cautain Walker's First Exploit — Resolution to relieve 
Point Isabel. 

The Army of Occupation, having spent six months in the 
monotony of camp duty at Corpus Christi, was rejoiced to be 
put in motion for new scenes and service. The 12th of March 
witnessed its entire force moving in a southerly direction over the 
vast wilderness lying between the Nueces and the Rio Grande. 
The face of the country, destitute of vegetation except the 
harsh prairie grass, and unvaried, except by the long undu- 
lations, never rising to the dignity of hills, presented nothing 
to sustain the buoyant spirit with which the march had been 
commenced, nor to make the encumbered soldier forget his 
burden. As the Nueces was left daily farther in the rear, the 
barrenness of the soil increased, and offered neither spring nor 
stream to appease thirst with a draught of wholesome water. 
. A week had passed in this dreary and painful progress, when 
green woods appeared to rise in the distance ; and, as the 
weary troops approached them, sheets of bright water varied 
their welcome shade. But the prospect of both was delusive. 
The seeming forests shrank into impenetrable clusters of the 
dwarfish thorn-tree, and the clear lakes were bitter with salt. 
Privations and fatigue became almost intolerable, under this 
disappointment. 

The stunted groves and the briny pools were passed, and 
the march continued through another dreary expanse of 
country. But here the suffering of nine days was forgotten, 



88 POINT ISABEL INVESTED. 

in the enjoyment of abundant water. The arm^ reached the 
Arroya Colorado, a long, narrow inlet of the sea. General 
Taylor had concentrated his whole force, having been advised 
that an attempt would be made by the Mexicans to arrest his 
progress. A body of cavalry appeared, on the opposite bank 
of the river, and informed him that, if the ford was attempted, 
the passage would be resisted as an act of hostility. Unaffected 
by this menace, he formed the army in order, to meet force by 
force, and commenced the passage, the artillery being posted 
to protect the ford. The Mexicans, who had made demon- 
strations of having a large body ready to engage him, disap- 
peared from the opposite bank, which was reached without 
molestation, General Worth heading the advance. 

On the 23d, the march was resumed ; and, on the fol- 
lowing day, General Taylor reached Point Isabel with the 
cavalry, while General Worth continued with the infantry on 
the direct route to Matamoros. While approaching Point Isa- 
bel, General Taylor was met by a deputation of citizens, from 
the Rio Grande, who handed him a protest, signed by the Pre- 
fect of the Northern District of the Department of Tamaulipas, 
against the presence of his army. While the subject was 
under .consideration, he perceived smoke arising from Point 
Isabel ; and, believing that the place had been fired by Mexi- 
can authority, he broke off the conference, and dismissed the 
deputation, with the promise of an answer when he should 
arrive on the banks of the Rio Grande. Point Isabel, an in- 
significant post, with a few mean houses, had been selected as 
a depot for military stores, being the nearest port to Mate* 
moras on the north. To preserve its buildings, and hold pos- 
session of them, was, therefore, an object of moment to the 
commander. The fire, which had made but little progress, 
was arrested by the dragoons under Col. Twiggs, detached 
for the purpose ; and, at the moment of General Taylor's 
arrival, the supplies, which he had sent from Corpus Christi 
by water, also arrived, fortunately answering his expectations. 
The arrangements at this post being satisfactorily made, the 
general, with the cavalry, resumed the march towards Matamo- 



CAMP ON THE RIO GRANDE. 



89 



ros, and was joined by General Worth's command, which had 
encamped on the road. Another week brought the Rio Grande 
in sight, the army having passed over the ground soon after- 
wards rendered famous by the victories of the 8th and 9th of 
May. The exhausted troops, on the 28th of March, pitched 
their tents on the left bank of the beautiful river ; and, amidst the 
early vegetation of a tropical spring, reposed, for a time, from 
their labours. General Worth and his staff were, immediately, 
instructed by General Taylor to cross the river, with despatches 
for the Mexican commander, and for 'the civil magistrates. 
The purpose was defeated alike by the ceremonious requisi- 
tions of these parties, and by the determination of the Mexican 
general, particularly, to consider the presence of the Americans 
an aggressive and hostile act. General Taylor, accordingly, 
began to place himself in a position to resist any attack. The 
topographical corps made the requisite observations of the 
country, and the site of permanent defences being selected, 
the works were commenced, and prosecuted with the utmost 
diligence. The Mexicans, meanwhile, looked supinely on. 
Within shot of their city, the American flag was floating, and 
they had declared all under it to be open enemies. Yet they 
allowed the golden opportunity to pass, when the latter were 
encamped in the open field, and when, if ever, an assault 
might have been successful. 

From the day of leaving Corpus Christi until the encamp- 
ment on the Rio Grande, the following despatches were written 
by General Taylor : 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Corpus Christi, Texas, March 8, 1846. 

Sir : I respectfully report that the advance of the army, 
composed of the cavalry and Major Ringgold's light artillery, 
the whole under the command of Colonel Twiggs, took up the 
line of march this morning in the direction of Matamoros, its 
strength being 23 officers and 378 men. The advance will be 
followed in succession by the brigades of inlmtry, the last 
brigade marching on the 11th instant. The roads are in good 
S* 



90 Taylor's despatches. 

order, the weather fine, and the troops in excellent condition 
for service. 

Major Munroe will embark for Brazos Santiago in season to 
reach that harbour about the time the army will be in the 
vicinity of Point Isabel. He takes with hirn a siege train and 
a field battery. Captain Sanders, of the engineers, the officers 
of ordnance, and the pay department, accompany Major 
Munroe. 

The movement by water, to Brazos Santiago, will be covered 
by the revenue cutter " Woodbury," Captain Foster, whose 
commander has kindly placed her at my disposal for this ser- 
vice. 

All proper arrangements have been made by the staff de- 
partments for supplying the army on the route, as well as 
establishing a depot for its further wants at Point Isabel. 

I have deemed it proper to cause my " orders" No. 30, to 
be translated into Spanish, and circulated on the Rio Grande. 
Sixty copies have already been sent in advance of the army to 
Matamoros, Camargo, and Mier. This form of giving publi- 
city to the spirit which actuates our movement in occupying 
the country, I thought preferable to a proclamation. I trust 
the order itself will meet the approval of the department. A 
few copies of the translation are herewith enclosed. 

I shall again communicate with general head-quarters before 
I march, and I expect to do so at least once on the route. 

My head-quarters will march with the rear brigade, but will 
soon pass to the advance of the army. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding: 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 



Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Order No. 30. Corpus Christi, March 8, 1846. 

The army of occupation of Texas being now about to take 
a position upon the left bank of the Rio Grande, under the 
orders of the Executive of the United States, the general-in- 



DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 91 

chief flesires to express the hope that the movement will be 
advantageous to all concerned ; and with the object of attain- 
ing this laudable end, he has ordered all under his command 
to observe, with the most scrupulous respect, the rights of all 
the inhabitants who may be found in peaceful prosecution of 
their respective occupations, as well on the left as on the right 
side of the Rio Grande. Under no pretext, nor in any way, 
will any interference be allowed with the civil rights or religious 
privileges of the inhabitants ; but the utmost respect for them 
will be maintained. 

Whatsoever may be needed for the use of the army will be 
bought by the proper surveyor, and paid for at the highest 
prices. The general-in-chief has the satisfaction to say that he 
confides in the patriotism and discipline of the army under his 
command, and that he feels sure that his orders will be obeyed 
with the utmost exactness. 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 



Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Camp at "El Sauce," 119 miles from Corpus Christi, March 18, 1846. 
Sir: I avail myself of a chance opportunity to Corpus 
Christi to report that I have advanced to this point with the 
cavalry and 1st brigade of infantry. The 2d brigade encamps 
to-night about seven miles in my rear ; the 3d brigade about 
nineteen. I shall concentrate all my force on reaching the 
Little Colorado, thirteen miles in my front, so as to be prepared 
for any contingency. I am happy to say that all the corps of 
the army are in fine condition and spirits, equal to any service 
that may be before them. 

Within the last two days, our -advance has met with small 
armed parties of Mexicans, who seemed disposed to avoid us. 
They were, doubtless, thrown out to get information of our 
advance. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 
The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 



92 DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Point Isabel, March 25, 1846. 

Sir : I respectfully report that I marched on the morning of 
the 23d instant with the entire army from the camp, near the 
Colorado, in the order prescribed in my order No. 35, here- 
with enclosed. After a march of fifteen miles, we reached, on 
the morning of the 24th, a point on the route from Matamoros 
to Point Isabel, eighteen miles from the former and ten from 
the latter place. I here left the infantry brigades under Briga- 
dier General Worth, with instructions to proceed in the direc- 
tion of Matamoros until he came to a suitable position for en- 
campment, where he would halt, holding the route in observa- 
tion, while I proceed with the cavalry to this point to commu- 
nicate with our transports, supposed to have arrived in the 
harbour, and make the necessary arrangements for the estab- 
lishment and defence of a depot. 

While on my way hither, our column was approached by a 
party on its right flank, bearing a white flag. It proved to be 
a civil deputation from Matamoros, desiring an interview with 
me. I informed them that I would halt at the first suitable 
place on the road and afford them the desired interview. It 
was, however, found necessary, from the want of water, to 
continue the route to this place. The deputation halted while 
y^et some miles from Point Isabel, declining to come further, 
and sent me a formal protest of the prefect of the northern dis- 
trict of Tamaulipas against our occupation of the country, 
which I enclose herewith. At this moment it was discovered 
that the buildings at Point Isabel were in flames. I then in- 
formed the bearer of the protest that I would answer it when 
opposite Matamoros, and dismissed the deputation. I con- 
sidered the conflagration before my eyes as a decided evidence 
of hostility, and was not willing to be trifled with any longer, 
particularly as I had reason to believe that the prefect, in making 
this protest, was but a tool of the military authorities at Mata- 
moros. 

The advance of the cavalry fortunately arrived here in season 



DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 93 

to arrest the fire, which consumed but three or four houses. 
The port captain, who committed the act under the orders, it^ 
I is said, of General Mejia, had made his escape before its ar- 
rival. We found two or three inoffensive Mexicans here, the 
[ rest having left for Matamoros. 

I was gratified to find that the water expedition had exactly 
answered to our land movement — the steamers arriving in the 
harbour only two or three hours before we reached Point Isabel, 
with the other transports close in their rear. The "Porpoise" 
and "Lawrence," brigs of war, and cutter "Woodbury," are 
. lying outside. I have thought it necessary to order Captain 
Porter's company to this place to reinforce Major Munroe. 
Our great depot must be here, and it is very important to se- 
cure it against any enterprise of the enemy. The engineer 
officers are now examining the ground with a view to tracing 
' lines of defence ,and strengthening the position. 

As soon as a sufficient amount of supplies can be thrown 
forward toward Matamoros, I shall march in the direction of 
i that town and occupy a position as near it as circumstances 
' will permit. 

I enclose a sketch prepared by my aid-de-camp, Lieutenant 
; Eaton, exhibiting the route of march since leaving the Colo- 
rado, and the bearings of important points. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 

The following correspondence elucidates the positions of the 
Mexican local authorities, and of General Taylor, respectively, 
upon his arrival on the Rio Grande. 

Office of the Prefect of the Northern District of the Department of Tamaulipas. 
t God and Liberty ! 

Santa Rita, March 23, 1846. 

Sir : Although the pending question respecting the annexa- 
tion of the department of Texas to the United States is subject 
to the decision of the supreme government of Mexico, the fact 



94 DESPATCHES CONTINUED. 

of the advance of the army, under your excellency's orders, 
over the line occupied by you at Corpus Christi, places me 
under the necessity, as the chief political authority of the 
northern district of Tamaulipas, to address you, as I have now 
the honour to do, through the commissioners, who will place 
this in your hands, and to inform you that the people, under 
this prefecture, being justly alarmed at the invasion of an army, 
which, without any previous declaration of war, and without 
announcing explicitly the object proposed by it, comes to oc- 
cupy a territory which never belonged to the insurgent pro- 
vince, cannot regard with indifference a proceeding so con- 
trary to the conduct observed towards each other by civilized 
nations, and to the clearest principles of the Jaw of nations ; 
that, directed by honour and patriotism^ and certain that no- 
thing has been said officially by the cabinet of the Union to the 
Mexican government, respecting the extension of the limits of 
Texas to the left bank of the Rio Bravo, trusting in the well- 
known justice of their cause, and using their natural right of 
defence, they (the citizens of this district) protest, in the most 
solemn manner, that neither now nor at any time do they, or 
will they, consent to separate themselves from the Mexican 
republic, and to unite themselves with the United States, and 
that they are resolved to carry this firm determination into effect, 
resisting, so far as their strength will enable them, at all times 
and places, until the army under your excellency's orders shall 
recede and occupy its former positions ; because, so long as it 
remains w r ithin the territory of Tamaulipas, the inhabitants 
must consider that whatsoever protestations of peace may be 
made, hostilities have been openly commenced by your excel- 
lency, the lamentable consequences of which will rest before 
the world exclusively on the heads of the invaders. 

I have the honour to say this to your excellency, with the 
object indicated, and to assure you of my consideration and 
esteem. 

Jenes Cardenas. 
Juan Jose Pineda. 

To General Z. Taylor, &c 



ENTRENCHMENTS ON THE RIVER. 95 






Camp on the left bank of the Rio Grande. 
Opposite Matamoros, March 29, 1846- 

Sir : I have the honour to report that I arrived at this camp 
yesterday with the forces under my command, no resistance 
having been offered to my advance to the banks of the river, 
nor any act of hostility committed by the Mexicans, except the 
capture of two of our dragoons, sent forward from the ad- 
vanced guard. I deem it possible that these two men may 
have deserted to the enemy, as one of them, at least, bears a 
bad character. Our approach seems to have created much 
excitement in Matamoros, and a great deal of activity has been 
displayed since our arrival in the preparation of batteries. 
The left bank is now under reconnoissance of our engineer 
officers, and I shall lose no time in strengthening our position 
by such defensive works as may be necessary, employing for 
that purpose a portion of the heavy guns brought round by sea. 

The attitude of the Mexicans is so far decidedly hostile. An 
interview has been held, by my direction, with the military au- 
thorities in Matamoros, but with no satisfactory result. 

Under this state of things, I must again and urgently call 
your attention to the necessity of speedily sending recruits to 
this army. 

The militia of Texas are so remote from the border that we 
cannot depend upon their aid. 

The strength gained by filling up the regiments here, even 
to the present feeble establishment, would be of very great im- 
portance. 

I respectfully enclose a field report of the force now in this 
camp. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 

A few days after the tents of the Army of Occupation had 
been pitched on the Rio Grande, sufficed for the partial erec- 
tion of defensive works. Meanwhile, Genera] Ampudia was 



96 A DESERTER SHOT. 

on his march to Matamoros to take command of the IVJexican 
forces in that city. He announced his presence, by the circu- 
lation, in the American camp, of a document addressed to the 
English and Irish soldiers. It informed them, that the United 
States was guilty of barbarous acts of aggression against " the 
magnanimous Mexican nation ;" and that the government ex- 
isting under the stripes and stars, was unworthy of the desig- 
nation of Christian. The former subjects of Great Britain 
were reminded of their nativity, and assured that the American 
government, by its course with regard to Oregon, was then 
1 seeking to create a rupture with their parent country. For 
these reasons, they were exhorted to take refuge in the Mexican 
ranks, and were guarantied " upon honour," good treatment, 
and safe escort to the beautiful capital of Mexico. The address 
concluded with these words : " Germans, French, Poles, and 
individuals of other nations ! Separate yourselves from the 
Yankees, and do not contribute to defend a robbery and 
usurpation which, be assured, the civilized nations of Europe 
look on with the utmost indignation. Come, therefore, and 
array yourselves under the tri-coloured flag, in the confidence 
that the God of armies protects it, and that it will protect you 
equally with the English !" This seductive appeal was not 
without effect upon a few* romantic individuals, who, as op- 
portunity offered, attempted to cross the river, and throw them- 
selves into the arms of the magnanimous Mexican nation. In 
the effort, a small number succeeded ; but the majority was 
drowned, and one man, who had reached the opposite bank 
and was ascending it, was shot, at the distance of two hundred 
yards, by a sentinel, and fell dead in the sight of his-old and 
his new friends. The latter buried him respectfully, and his 
melancholy fate proved a salutary lesson to the former. 
* By the 10th of April, considerable progress had been made 
in the works intended for the reception of ordnance expected 
from Point Isabel, and in the principal intrenchment, which 
afterwards received the name of Fort Brown. The latter 
was extensive, capable of accommodating about two thousand 
men. It had six bastions, and the guns on the river side 



COL. CROSS MURDERED.' 97 

commanded the town of Matamoros. The work was planned 
and executed under the direction of Captain Mansfield, of the 
engineer corps. 

This day, the 10th of April, was signalized by the first 
shedding of American blood by Mexican hands. Colonel 
Cross, Deputy Quarter Master General, had ridden out, as was 
his custom, for exercise. Night coming on, he did not return, 
and alarm began to be felt for his safety. Attached to the 
Mexican army, were then, as now, irresponsible parties of ca- 
valry, whose business was rather assassination and robbery, 
than honourable warfare. It was feared, that Colonel Cross 
had fallen a victim to one of these bands, and ten days after- 
wards his remains were found and identified. Information was 
then received, which left no reasonable doubt that such had 
been the mode of his death. His memory was honoured, by 
the commander-in-chief, by a funeral becoming his rank. 

General Ampudia arrived in Matamoros on the 11th. He 
was welcomed by his countrymen ; and, to the army under 
Taylor, his coming was hailed as the signal of definite action 
on the part of Mexico. The suspense did not last long. On 
the following morning, a military deputation, from General 
Ampudia, delivered the subjoined letter to General Taylor : — 

Head Quarters at Matamoros, 2 o'clock P. M. 

Fourth Military Division, > . ., ,„ 10 .-, 
General-in-Chief. $ Apnl 12, 1846. 

God and Liberty ! 

To explain to you the many grounds for the just grievances 
felt by the Mexican nation, caused by the United States go- 
vernment, would be a loss of time, and an insult to your good 
sense ; I, therefore, pass at once to such explanation as I con- 
sider of absolute necessity. 

Your government, in an incredible manner — you will even 
permit me to say an extravagant one, if the usages, or general 
rules established and received among all civilized nations are 
regarded — has not only insulted, but has exasperated the Mex- 
ican nation, bearing its conquering banner to the left bank of 
9 

I 



98 CORRESPONDENCE WITH AMPUDIA. 

the Rio Bravo del Norte ; and in this case, by explicit and 
definitive orders of my government, which neither can, will, 
nor should receive new outrages, I require you in all form, 
and at latest in the peremptory term of twenty-four hours, to 
break up your camp and retire to the other bank of the Nueces 
river, while our governments are regulating the pending ques- 
tion in relation to Texas. If you insist on remaining upon the 
soil of the department of Tamaulipas, it will clearly result that 
arms, and arms alone, must decide the question ; and, in that 
case, I advise you that we accept the war to which, with so 
much injustice on your part, you provoke us, and that, on our 
part, this war -shall be conducted conformably to the principles 
established by the most civilized nations ; that is to say, that 
the law of nations and of war shall be the guide of my opera- 
tions ; trusting that on your part the same will be observed. 

With this view, I tender you the considerations due to your 
person and respectable office. 

Pedro De Ampudia. 

Senor General-in-Chief of the U. S. Army, 
Don Z. Taylor. 

To this peremptory requisition General Taylor replied : 

Head Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Camp near Matamoros, Texas, April 12, 1846. 

Senor : I have had the honour to receive your note of this 
date, in which you summon me to withdraw the forces under 
my command from their present position, and beyond the river 
Nueces, until the pending question between our governments, 
relative to the limits of Texas, shall be settled. 

I need hardly advise you that, charged as I am, in only a 
military capacity, with the performance of specific duties,' I 
cannot enter into a discussion of the international question in- 
volved in the advance of the American army. You will, how- 
ever, permit me to say, that the government of the United 
States has constantly sought a settlement, by negotiation, of 
the question of boundary ; that an envoy was despatched to 
Mexico for that purpose, and that up to the most recent dates 



BLOCKADE OF RIO GRANDE. 99 

Said envoy had not been received by the actual Mexican go- 
vernment, if indeed he has not received his passports and left 
the republic. In the mean time, I have been ordered to occupy 
the country up to the left bank of the Rio -Grande, until the 
boundary shall be definitely settled. In carrying out these in- 
structions I have carefully abstained from all acts of hostility, 
obeying, in this regard, not only the letter of my instructions, 
but the plain dictates of justice and humanity. 

The instructions under which I am acting will not permit 
me to retrograde from the position I now occupy. In view of 
the relations between our respective governments, and the in- 
dividual suffering which may result, I regret the alternative 
which you offer ; but, at the same time, wish it understood 
that I shall by no means avoid such alternative, leaving the re- 
sponsibility with those who rashly commence hostilities. In 
conclusion, you will permit me to give the assurance that on 
my part the laws and customs of war among civilized nations 
shall be carefully observed. 

I have the honour to be, very respectfully, your obedient 
servant, 

Z. Taylor. 

Senor General D. Pedro De Ampudia. 

To confirm these declarations, General Taylor continued 
to fortify his camp, and to make every disposition to resist an 
attack. Ampudia soon gave place, as commanding officer at 
Matamoros, to General Arista, commander-in-chief of the 
Northern Division of the Mexican army. The reported acces- 
sions to its force also created new expectations in the Ameri- 
can camp that a decisive demonstration would soon be made 
against it. On the 19th, intelligence was brought General 
Taylor of the arrival of two vessels off the mouth of the Rio 
Grande with supplies for the Mexicans in Matamoros. He at 
once declared a blockade of the river, which he enforced by 
ordering the United States Brig Lawrence, and a revenue cut- 
ter, to guard its mouth. This measure elicited another note 
from Ampudia, in which, after mentioning the fact of the ves- 



100 ampudia's protest. 

sels being sent to Brazos Santiago, he proceeds in the following 
strain : 

" The cargo of one of them is composed in great part, and 
of the other entirely, of provisions, which the contractors, 
charged with providing for the army under my orders, had pro- 
cured to fulfil the obligations of their contracts. You have 
taken possession of these provisions by force, and against the 
will of the proprietors, one of whom is vice-consul of her Ca- 
tholic Majesty, and the other of her Britannic Majesty ; and 
whose rights, in place of being rigorously respected, as was 
proffered, and as was to be hoped from the observance of the 
principles which govern among civilized nations, have, on the 
contrary, been violated in the most extraordinary manner, op- 
posed to the guarantee and respect due to private property. 

" Nothing can have authorized you in such a course. The 
commerce of nations is not suspended or interrupted, except 
in consequence of a solemn declaration of blockade, commu- 
nicated and established in the form prescribed by international 
law. Nevertheless, you have infringed these rules ; and, by an 
act which can never be viewed favourably to the United States 
government, have hindered the entrance to a Mexican port of 
vessels bound to it, under the confidence that commerce 
would not be interrupted. My duties do not allow me to con- 
sent to this new species of hostility, and they constrain me to 
require of you, not only that the vessels taken by force to 
Brazos Santiago shall be at liberty to return to the mouth of 
the river, but the restoration of all the provisions which, be- 
sides belonging to private contractors, were destined for the 
troops on this frontier. I consider it useless to inculcate the 
justice of this demand, and the results which may follow an 
unlooked-for refusal. 

" I have also understood that two Mexicans, carried down 
in a boat by the current of the river near one of the advanced 
posts of your camp, were detained, after being fired upon, and 
that they are still kept and treated as prisoners. The indivi- 
duals in question do not belong to the army, and this circum- 
stance exempts them from the laws of war. I therefore hope 



Taylor's reply. 101 

that you will place them absolutely at liberty, as I cannot be 
persuaded that you pretend to extend to persons not military 
the consequences of an invasion, which, without employing 
this means of rigour against unarmed citizens, is marked in it- 
self with the seal of universal reprobation." 

To this note General Taylor took occasion to reply at some 
length, in a strain both exculpatory, as regarded his own 
course, and declaratory of the exceptionable conduct of the 
Mexicans. After acknowledging Ampudia's note, he con- 
tinues as follows : 

" After all that has passed since the American army first 
approached the Rio Bravo, I am certainly surprised that you 
should complain of a measure which is no other than a natural 
result of the state of war so much insisted upon by the Mexican 
authorities as actually existing at this time. You will excuse 
me for recalling a few circumstances to show that this state of 
war has not been sought by the American army, but has been 
forced upon it, and that the exercise of the rights incident to 
such a state cannot be made a subject of complaint. 

" On breaking up my camp at Corpus Christi, and moving 
forward with the army under my orders to occupy the left bank 
of the Rio Bravo, it was my earnest desire to execute my in- 
structions in a pacific manner : to observe the utmost regard 
for the personal rights of all citizens residing on the left bank 
of the river, and to take care that the religion and customs of 
the people should suffer no violation. With this view, and to 
quiet the minds of the inhabitants, I issued orders to the army, 
enjoining a strict observance of the rights and interests of all 
Mexicans residing on the river, and caused said orders to be 
translated into Spanish, and circulated in the several towns on 
the Bravo. These orders announced the spirit in which we 
proposed to occupy the country, and I am proud to say that 
up to this moment the same spirit has controlled the operations 
of the army. On reaching the Arroyo Colorado I was informed 
by a Mexican officer that the order in question had been re- 
ceived in Matamoros ; but was told, at the same time, that if I 

attempted to cross the river it would be regarded as a dec.lara- 
9 *, 



102 VINDICATES HIS PROCEEDINGS. 

tion of war. Again, on my march to Frontone* I was met by 
a deputation of the civil authorities of Matamoros, protesting 
against my occupation of a portion of the department of Tamau- 
lipas, and declaring that if the army was not at once withdrawn, 
war would result. While this communication was in my hands, 
it was discovered that the village of Frontone had been set on 
fire and abandoned. I viewed this as a direct act of war, and 
informed the deputation that their communication would be 
answered by me when opposite Matamoros, which was done 
in respectful terms. On reaching the river I despatched an 
officer, high in rank, to convey to the commanding general in 
Matamoros the expression of my desire for amicable relations, 
and my willingness to leave open to the use of the citizens of 
Matamoros the port of Brazos Santiago until the question of 
boundary should be definitively settled. This officer received 
for reply, from the officer selected to confer with him, that my 
advance to the Rio Bravo was considered as a veritable act of 
war, and he was absolutely refused an interview with the Ameri- 
can consul, in itself an act incompatible with a state of peace. 
" Notwithstanding these repeated assurances on the part of the 
Mexican authorities, and notwithstanding the most obviously 
hostile preparations on the right bank of the river, accompa- 
nied by a rigid non-intercourse, I carefully abstained from any 
act of hostility — determined that the onus of producing an ac- 
tual state of hostilities should not rest with me. Our relations 
remained in this state until I had the honour to receive your 
note of the 12th instant, in which you denounce war as the 
alternative of my remaining in this position. As I could not, 
under my instructions, recede from my position, I accepted the 
alternative you offered me, and made all my dispositions to i 
meet it suitably. But, still willing to adopt milder measures 
before proceeding to others, I contented myself in the first in- 
stance with ordering a blockade of the mouth of the Rio Bravo 
by the naval forces under my orders — a proceeding perfectly 
consonant with the state of war so often declared to exist, and 
which you acknowledge in your note of the 16th instant, rela- 
* The town at Point Isabel. 



ANNOUNCES HIS RESOLUTION. 103 

tive to the late Col. Cross. If this measure seem oppressive, 
1 wish it borne in mind that it has been forced upon me by the 
course you have seen fit to adopt. I have reported this block- 
ade to my government, and shall not remove it until I receive 
instructions to that effect, unless, indeed, you desire an armis- 
tice pending the final settlement of the question between the 
governments, or until war shall be formally declared by either, 
in which case I shall cheerfully open the river. In regard to 
the consequences you mention as resulting from a refusal to 
remove the blockade, I beg you to understand that I am pre- 
pared for them, be they what they may. 

" In regard to the particular vessels referred to in your com- 
munication, I have the honour to advise you that, in pursuance 
of my orders, two American schooners, bound for Matamoros, 
were warned off on the 17th instant, when near the mouth of 
the river, and put to sea, returning probably to New Orleans. 
They were not seized, or their cargoes disturbed in any way, 
nor have they been in the harbour of Brazos Santiago to my 
knowledge. A Mexican schooner, understood to be the "Ju- 
niata," was in or off that harbour when my instructions to 
block the river were issued, but was driven to sea in a gale, 
since which time I have had no report concerning her. Since 
the receipt of your communication, I have learned that two 
persons, sent to the mouth of the river to procure information 
respecting this vessel, proceeded thence to Brazos Santiago, 
when they were taken up and detained by the officer in com- 
mand, until my orders could be received. I shall order their 
immediate release. A letter from one of them to the Spanish 
vice-consul is respectfully transmitted herewith. 

"In relation to the Mexicans said to have drifted down the 
river in a boat, and to be prisoners at this time in my camp, I 
have the pleasure to inform you that no such persons have been 
taken prisoners or are now detained by my authority. The 
boat in question was carried down empty by the current of the 
river, and drifted ashore near one of our pickets and was se- 
cured by the guard. Some time afterwards an attempt was 
made to recover the boat under the cover of the darkness; the 



104 RECONNOITRING INCIDENTS. 

individuals concerned were hailed by the guard, and, failing 
to answer, were fired upon as a matter of course. What be- 
came of them is not known, as no trace of them could be dis- 
covered on the following morning. The officer of the Mexican 
guard directly opposite was informed next day that the boat 
would be returned on proper application to me, and I have now 
only to repeat that assurance. 

" In conclusion, I take leave to state that I consider the tone 
of your communication highly exceptionable, where you stig- 
matise the movement of the army under my orders as " marked 
with the seal of universal reprobation." You must be aware 
that such language is not respectful in itself, either to me or 
my government ; and while I observe in my own correspond- 
ence the courtesy due to your high position, and to the mag- 
nitude of the interests with which we are respectively charged, 
I shall expect the same in return." 

The position of the Army of Occupation began now to ap- 
pear painfully critical. Daily intelligence was received of the 
augmentation of the Mexican forces. To this was added, on 
the 24th, rumours that they were crossing the river, to the 
number of three thousand, above and below the camp, w r ith the 
design of marching against Point Isabel, and thus cutting off 
the supplies at that depot on which the army was dependent. 
To ascertain the truth of these reports, General Taylor ordered 
Captain Ker, with a squadron of dragoons, to reconnoitre be- 
tween the camp and the mouth of the river, while another 
squadron, under Captain Thornton, was sent above for the 
same object. The former returned without having learned 
anything to confirm the unfavourable reports. The mission of 
the latter was less fortunate. Having ascended the river bank 
about twenty-five miles, he halted in consequence of the re- 
fusal of his guide to proceed, the latter declaring that large 
bodies of Mexican troops were in the neighbourhood. Doubt- 
ing the statement, however, Captain Thornton again moved 
forward ; and, stopping at a farm-house, the court of which 
was surrounded by a chapparal hedge, to make some enquiry, 
he was suddenly surrounded by a large body of Mexican in- 



Thornton's command captured. 105 

fantry and cavalry. A charge through it was attempted, but 
without success. Captain Thornton, by an extraordinary leap 
of his horse, which was wounded at the moment by a dis- 
charge of musketry, cleared the hedge. His command was un- 
able to follow ; and the second officer, Captain Hardee, after an 
attempt to retreat across the river, was obliged to surrender the 
party prisoners of war. Lieutenant G. T. Mason, a promising 
young officer, was killed in this affair. The prisoners were 
taken to Matamoros, and well treated. For some time, Captain 
Thornton was missing; but, as was afterwards learned from 
him, his horse had fallen, and injured him, and, when endea- 
vouring to return to the camp on foot, he was taken within a 
few miles of it, and joined his men, a prisoner, in Matamoros. 
The capture of this handful of dragoons, was the occasion of 
extraordinary exultation on the part of the host of their con- 
querors. General Arista thus triumphantly congratulated Ge- 
neral Torrejon, who commanded in the affair: 

" This has been a day of rejoicing to all the Division of the 
North, it having this day been known of the triumph achieved 
by the brigade which your excellency so worthily commands. 
The rejoiced country will doubtless celebrate this preliminary 
of glorious deeds that her happy sons will in future present to 
her. Your excellency will communicate to your brave soldiers 
that I have seen with the greatest pleasure their valiant be- 
haviour, and that I await for the detailed despatch to elevate it 
to the knowledge of the supreme government, so that the nation 
may learn the triumph of your arms." 

On the day that Thornton's unfortunate party had left the 
camp, a messenger from General Arista brought to General 
Taylor the following manifesto, addressed on the cover to the 
commander-in-chief of the United States forces : — 

" The course of events, since the annexation of Texas to 
the United States was declared, has been so clearly hostile to 
Mexico, and so foreign to the dignity and principles which 
the Americans have proclaimed to the world, that we came to 
the conclusion, that their policy has been changed, and that 



10(3 POINT ISABEL T UREA T E N E D . 

their moderation is turned into a desire of aggrandizement, en- 
riching themselves by humiliating their neighbours. 

"The respect and consideration that friendly nations show 
to each other have been trampled upon, by which reason, the 
justice and excessive moderation of Mexico shine forth still 
more. Pressed and forced into war, we enter into a struggle, 
which cannot be avoided, without failing in what is most sacred 
to man. 

"Political discussions do not appertain to military men, but 
to diplomatic agents. To us belongs the part to act, without 
it occasioning any surprise that the troops under my command 
should not wait for anything else to give battle. 

" We Mexicans have been calumniated as barbarous, in the 
most caustic and unjust terms. The occasion has arrived to 
show what we are ; and, I do not believe that, in the troops 
under my command, there will be any cause to confirm such 
suppositions, as they will render conspicuous the feelings of 
humanity and generosity which distinguish them. 

" For this time, I have the honour to offer your excellency 
my gr?at consideration. 

" Mariano Arista. 

« God and Liberty ! 
•< Head Quarters, Matamoros, April 24, 1846." 

A private note to General Taylor accompanied this formal 
expression of modest assurance, in which the writer, after pay- 
ing a compliment to General Taylor's urbanity, pledged him- 
self, personally, that "justice and love of humanity" should be 
found in all his acts. 

The apprehensions already noticed for the safety of the little 
army on the banks of the Rio Grande were increased, by the 
fact, that bodies of Mexican troops, thrown between it and Point 
Isabel, had wholly debarred all intercommunication. To- 
wards the close of April, there were reports of a contemplated 
attack on this place. General Taylor shared the anxiety on the 
latter account — and he accordingly sent a despatch to the 
governors of Louisiana and Texas, asking an immediate rein- 



RELIEF FOR POINT ISABEL. 107 

forcement of four regiments of volunteers from each state. 
From the time he had left Point Isabel, while on the march 
from Corpus Christi, Major Munroe, who was in command of 
that station, had been reinforced by a small body of Texan 
volunteers. Captain Walker, with a company of rangers, was 
amomr them, and occasion now offered for him to commence 
the career, in the Mexican war, which he has since followed 
with singular credit to his patriotism and courage. A wagon 
train, under the escort of Captain Walker, having been driven 
back, with severe loss, while on the way from Point Isabel to 
the camp, by a large body of Mexican troops, who pursued 
the fugitive party to the neighbourhood of the former post, 
Major Munroe was anxious to give General Taylor immediate 
advice of the fact. To this perilous service, Captain Walker 
volunteered, and safely accomplished it. The danger which 
menaced Point Isabel was now too imminent to admit delay 
in relieving it, and General Taylor, therefore, resolved on 
marching thither, immediately, with his whole force, except 
the seventh regiment of infantry, and Captain Bragg's and 
Captain Lowd's companies of artillery, which were to occupy 
Fort Brown, then sufficiently complete to sustain a bombard- 
ment. The cost of this movement was fully counted by the 
general ; — but he was prepared for any exigency, and resolved 
to meet any force which the enemy might bring against him. 



108 TAYLOR LEAVES THE RIO GRANDE. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Rejoicing in Matamoros — Arista, with his Forces, crosses the River — His Dis- 
appointment at Taylor's Escape — Mexican Narrative of both Movements — 
Ardour of the Mexicans — Terror of the Americans — Their Duplicity and 
Treachery — Taylor's Ignominy — Bombardment of Fort Brown — Taylor's In- 
structions — May 'sand Walker's Mission — New Mexican Batteries — Their Fire 
not returned — Mexican Account of the Bombardment — Eternal Honour of 
Mexican Artillery-men — Barbarous Pleasure of the Americans — Their Coward- 
ice and Stupidity — Mexican Triumph— American Loss — Mexican Superiority 
— Continuation of the Bombardment — Death of Major Brown — New Mexican 
Batteries — Captain Hawkins summoned to Surrender — Arista's modest Letter 
— Hawkins' presumptuous Answer — Want of Ammunition — Preparations 
for an Assault — Weariness of the Men in the Fort — Signals of Relief. 

The first of May, 1846, was a day of great exultation among 
the good people of Matamoros. All classes forsook their oc- 
cupations, and gathered on the banks of the river. The merry 
bells were rung, and public joy was manifested by all modes 
known to the sanguine denizens of a tropical town. It so hap- 
pened, that his excellency, Don Mariano Arista, general-in- 
chief of the division of the north, had chosen the same bright 
morning to order a large body of his troops across the Rio 
Grande, that General Taylor had chosen to march to the relief 
of Point Isabel. A retrograde movement, on the part of the 
Americans, at any moment, would have been hailed by their 
confident neighbours as evidence of doubt and apprehension. 
But occurring simultaneously with the advance of their own 
forces to the left side of the river, the cheering conclusion was 
drawn, that the terror-stricken army of the United States was 
flying before the brilliant legions of Mexico. The latter had 
selected a ford for crossing, several miles above the camp of 
the former, and were, therefore, so far in the rear of the sup- 
posed fugitives, that their retreat could not be cut off. This 
was a disappointment ; but the anxiety to chastise the invaders 
w;is in a measure allayed, by the circumstance, that Genera] 
Taylor, in his precipitous flight, had left a small body of men 
in Fort Brown. To reduce these to the humiliation of sur- 



MEXICAN VIEWS OF HIS MARCH. 109 

rendering would be an easy and a glorious task ; so thought 
his excellency (General Arista) and his worthy compatriots. 
Perhaps the best illustration of this comfortable assurance is 
found in the annexed extract of a document, published in El 
Monitor Republicano, of Matamoros, on the 4th of May. 

" On the first of this month, at eleven o'clock in the morning, 
the general-in-chief left this place to join the army, who, several 
hqurs before, had left with the intention of crossing the river 
at a short distance from the camp of the enemy. In consequence 
of the orders given, so that this dangerous operation might be 
performed with due security, and according to the rules of 
military art, when our troops arrived at the spot designated for 
the crossing of the river, the left bank was already occupied 
by General D. Anastasio Torrejon, with all the force under his 
command. The enthusiasm of our soldiers to conquer the 
obstacles which separated them from the enemy was so great, 
that they showed themselves impatient of the delay occasioned 
by the bad condition of some of the flat-boats, which had been 
very much injured in the transportation by land, and could not 
be used, as they would fill up with water as soon as they were 
launched. In spite of that obstacle, the work went on with 
such activity, and so great was the ardour of the most excel- 
lent general-in-chief, whose orders were obeyed with the 
greatest promptness and precision, that a few hours were suffi- 
cient to transport, to the opposite bank of the Bravo, a strong 
division, with all its artillery and train. 

" This rapid and well-combined movement ought to have 
proved to the invaders not only that the Mexicans possess in- 
struction and aptness for war, but that those qualities are now 
brought forth by the purest patriotism. The Northern Division, 
fearless of fatigue, and levelling all difficulties, ran to seek an 
enemy who, well sheltered under parapets, and defended with 
, guns of a large calibre, could wait for the attack with indis- 
putable advantage. With deep trenches, with a multitude of 
fortifications, the defence was easy against those who presented 
themselves with their naked breasts. 

" But General Taylor dared not resist the valour and enthu- 
10 

% 



110 HOW HE CHANCED TO ESCAPE. 

siasm of the sons of Mexico. Well did he foresee the intre- 
'pidity with which our soldiers would rush against the usurpers? 
of the national territory. Well did he know the many injuries? 
[tyhich were to be avenged by those who had taken up arms,, 
not to aggrandize themselves with the spoils of the property off 
others, but to maintain the independence of their country.. 
Well did he know, we repeat it, that the Mexicans would be j 
stopped neither by trenches, or fortresses, or large artillery. . 
Thus it was that the chief of the American forces, frightened I 
as soon as he perceived from the situation and proximity of ' 
his camp, that our army were preparing to cross the river, left' 
with precipitation for Point Isabel, with almost all his troops,, 
eight pieces of artillery, and a few wagons. Their march was 
observed from our position, and the most excellent General D. . 
.Francisco Mejia immediately sent an express extraordinary to> 
communicate the news to the most excellent general-in-chief. 
Here let me pay to our brave men the tribute which they de- 
serve. The express verbally informed some of the troops, 
which had not yet arrived at the ford, of the escape of the • 
Americans; in one instant, all the soldiers spontaneously 
crossed the river, almost racing one with another. Such was 
the ardour with which they crossed the river to attack the 
enemy. 

" The terror and haste with which the latter fled to the fort, , 
to shut themselves up in it and avoid a conflict, frustrated the 
active measures of the most excellent Senor General Arista, 
which were to order the cavalry to advance in the plain and 
cut off the flight of the fugitives. But it was not possible to 
do so, notwithstanding their forced march during the night. 
General Taylor left his camp at two o'clock in the afternoon, 
and, as fear has wings, he succeeded in shutting himself up in 
the fort. When our cavalry reached the point where they were 
to detain him, he had already passed, and was several leagues 
ahead. Great was the sorrow of our brave men not to have 
been able to meet the enemy face to face ; their defeat was 
certain, and the main body of that invading army, who thought 
that they inspired the Mexicans with so much respect, would 



TAYLOR REACHES POINT ISABEL. Ill 

have disappeared in the first important battle. But there was 
some fighting to be done ; and the Americans do not know 
how to use other arms but those of duplicity and treachery. 
Why did they not remain with firmness under their colours ? 
Why did they abandon the ground which they pretend to usurp 
with such iniquity? Thus has an honourable general kept his 
word. Had not General Taylor said, in all his communica- 
tions, that he was prepared to repel all hostilities ? Why, then, < 
does he fly in so cowardly a manner to shut himself up at. the 
Point? The commander-in-chief of the American army has 
covered himself with opprobrium and ignominy in sacrificing 
a part of his forces, whom he left in the fortifications, to save 
himself; for it is certain that he will not return to their assist- 
ance — not that he is ignorant of their peril, but he calculates 
that this would be greater if he had the temerity of attempting 
to resist the Mexican lances and bayonets in the open plain." 
Before the publication of this bold and sarcastic paper, 
General Taylor, fortunately for his feelings as well as his se- 
curity, had reached Point Isabel. Meanwhile, on the 3d in- 
stant, a Mexican battery had opened a fire upon Fort Brown, 
which its brave commander, Major Jacob Brown, returned so 
effectually that the guns of the former were very speedily 
silenced. Before leaving the fort, General Taylor had satisfied 
himself of its ability to sustain a bombardment, but to be pre- 
pared for its relief, he ordered that, in case of an assault, heavy 
signal guns should be fired at stated intervals, which would 
apprise him at Point Isabel of its condition. When the firing 
of the Mexican guns, on the 3d, was heard at the latter place, 
General Taylor's anxiety to know their effect, and the prospect 
of the fort sustaining the bombardment, determined him to 
despatch a troop of horse to ascertain these facts. One hundred 
dragoons under Captain May, and ten Texan Rangers under 
Captain Walker, were detailed for this duty, with orders to the 
former to proceed within six miles of the fort, (carefully 
avoiding the enemy, who then overran the whole intermediate 
country,) and there to remain, if circumstances permitted, 
while the Rangers, under cover of the night, should continue 



112 FORT BROWN BOMBARDED. 

on to the fort, and communicate with Major Brown. This 
dangerous service was safely and satisfactorily performed, 
although Captain Walker was obliged to return to Point Isabel 
with no other force than his own ten men. 

The fire from the Mexican batteries, erected at different 
points, having been resumed, Major Brown found that his six- 
pounders, owing to the distance, did little execution, and 
\ wishing to husband his ammunition, and the strength of his 
men, the enemy's fire was not returned. This fact was too 
flattering to their pride and hopes to be properly understood ; 
and the subjoined bulletin of the first day's work was issued 
from the Matamoros press, and received with becoming delight 
and admiration by the populace. 

"But let us relate the glorious events of yesterday. As 
Aurora daw : ned, we began to fire from our ramparts on the for- 
tifications of the enemy, and the thunder of Mexican cannon 
was saluted by the reveille from every point of our line, by the 
bell of the parochial church, and by the vivas of the inhabit- 
ants of Matamoros. In a moment the streets were filled, and 
all were rejoiced to see at last the hour arrived, when we were 
to give a terrible lesson to the American camp, whose odious 
presence could no longer be tolerated. The enemy answered, 
but they were soon convinced that their artillery, although of 
a superior calibre, could not compete with ours. After a fire 
of five hours, our ramparts remained immovable, on account 
of the solidity of their construction, and the intelligence with 
which the rules of art had been observed. The same did not 
happen to the American fortifications, whose bastions were so 
completely demolished, that towards eleven o'clock in the 
morning their artillery ceased to play, and their fire was hushed. 
We continued to fire with activity during the day, without the 
enemy's daring to respond to us, because the parapets under 
which they would shelter themselves being destroyed, they had 
not courage to load their guns, which remained uncovered. 
This result shows us of what in reality consists the exalted 
skill of the American artillerists. They have eighteen-pounders, 
and we have nothing larger than eight-pounders; and yet the 



MEXICAN IDEAS OF ITS DEFENCE. 113 

intelligence and practice of the Mexicans sufficed to conquer 
those who had superior arms. Unequalled glory and eternal 
honour to our brave artillerymen. 

« The enemy, in their impotent rage, and before they con- 
cealed their shame behind the most distant parapets, had the 
barbarous pleasure of aiming their guns towards the city, to 
destroy its edifices, as it was not in their power to destroy the 
fortifications from which they received so much injury. This 
wicked revenge, which only springs from cowardly and misera- 
ble souls, did not meet with the success expected by those who 
so unworthily adorn themselves with the title of savans and 
philanthropists. Their stupidity was equal to their wickedness. 
Almost all the balls passed too high ; and those which touched 
the houses, although they were eighteen-pounders, did not 
cause any other mischief but that of piercing one or two walls. 
If those who conceived the infamous design of destroying 
Matamoros, had seen the contemptuous laughter with which 
the owners of those houses showed their indifference for the 
losses which they might sustain, they would have admired the 
patriotism and disinterestedness of the Mexicans, always ready 
to undergo the greatest sacrifices, when it is necessary to main- 
tain their nationality and independence. The glorious 3d of 
May is another brilliant testimony of this truth ; through the 
thickest of the firing, one could remark the most ardent enthu- 
siasm on all faces, and hardly had a ball fallen, when even the 
children would look for it, without fearing that another aimed 
in the same manner should fall in the same place. That we 
saw ourselves in the public square, where a multitude of citi- 
zens were assembled. 

" The triumph of our arms has been complete, and we have 
only to lament the loss of a sergeant and two artillerymen, who 
fell gloriously in fighting for their country. The families of 
those victims ought to be taken care of by the supreme govern- 
ment, to whose paternal gratitude they have been recommended 
by the most excellent senor general-in-chief. We must also 
be consoled by the thought that the blood of these brave men 
has been revenged by their bereaved companions. As many 
10* 



H4 MEXICO GLORIFIES HERSELF. 

of our balls passed through the enemy's embrasures, the loss 
to tlje Americans must have been very great ; and although 
we do not know exactly the number of their dead, the most 
accurate information makes it amount to fifty-six. It is proba- 
ble that such is the case. Since eleven o'clock in the morning, 
the abandonment of their guns, merely because two of them 
were dismounted, and the others were uncovered ; the panic- 
terror with which, in all haste, they took refuge in their furthest 
entrenchments, taking away from the camp all that could suffer 
from the attack of our artillery ; the destruction which must 
have been occasioned by the bombs so well aimed, that some 
would burst at a yard's distance from the ground in their de- 
scent to the point where they were to fall ; every thing contri- 
butes to persuade that indeed the enemy have suffered a terri- 
ble loss. If it were not the case — if they preserved some 
remnant of valour, why did they not dare to repair their forti- 
fications in the night ? It is true that, from time to time, a few 
guns were fired on them in the night, but their aim could not 
be certain, and cowardice alone could force them not to put 
themselves in an attitude to return the fire which was poured 
on them again at daylight. No American put out his head ; 
silence reigned in their camp ; and for this reason we have 
suspended our fire to-day — that there is no enemy to meet our 
batteries. 

" To conclude, we will give a brilliant paragraph relating to 
the contest, by the most excellent senor general-in-chief, as to 
the part which he took in the events of yesterday. He says 
thus : ' Mexico must glorify herself, and especially the valiant 
men of the Division of the North, that a force inferior in its 
elements, and perhaps in numbers also, and which required 
nearly two months to swell itself with the auxiliaries coming 
from the capital, should meet in an immense plain, defying the 
army of the United States, and the whole power of that re- 
public, without their opponents, who could receive succour in 
the space of fifty hours, should dare to leave the fort to give 
us battle.' 

"From the news which we publish to-day, it will be seen 



MEXICANS INTIMIDATE AMERICA. 115 

that the Northern Division, so deservedly entrusted with the 
first operations against the North American army, has most 
nobly filled its highly important mission. Not that we mean 
to be understood as considering its task is yet fully completed, 
but we anticipate, before the end of the present week, to wit- 
ness the total discomfiture of the enemy, who has had the 
temerity to answer the fire of our batteries : of those batteries 
that gave them yesterday such abundant proof of that valour, 
so characteristic of the Mexicans : a valour rendered famous 
in a hundred bloody contests ! It were endless to recount all 
the acts of patriotism performed by the troops of the garrison, 
and the valiant citizens who shared in the defence of the city — 
they courted danger with that intrepidity always inspired by a 
just cause. 

" So rapid is the fire of our guns, that the batteries of the 
enemy have been silenced. But what is most worthy of notice, 
as showing the great enthusiasm of this place, is the fact that 
many of the inhabitants, of both sexes, in the hottest of the 
cannonade, remained firm in front of the enemy, filled with 
enthusiasm ; indeed, fear is always unknown to those whose 
mission is to avenge an outrage upon the sacred rights of their 
beloved country. 

" From our account of the war, the world will judge of the 
great superiority of our troops, in courage as well as skill, over 
the Americans. It is indeed wonderful to witness the dismay 
of the enemy : rare is the occurrence when an American ven- 
tures outside of the breastwork. There can be no doubt of 
this, that the Mexicans will be considered by foreign nations 
as the very emblems of patriotism. How evident that they in- 
herit the blood of the noble sons of Pelayo ! Happy they who 
have met with so glorious a death in defending tire territory 
bequeathed to them by their fathers ! 

" The nation with which we are at war is most savage in its 
proceedings; no regard being paid to the flags of friendly na- 
tions : even those usages and customs respected by civilized 
nations, to divest war of some of its horrors, have been shame- 
fully disregarded. The enemy have fired red shot against this 



116 ATTACK UPON FORT BROWN. 

innocent city, and we publish it to the world in proof that, 
with all their boasted wisdom and liberty, they are unworthy 
of being counted among enlightened nations. 

" His excellency, the general-in-chief of the Northern Divi- 
sion, and his intrepid soldiers, are ready to fight the enemy in 
any numbers, and we are certain that our arms will be success- 
ful ; but the nation against whom we have to contend is exces- 
sively proud ; and it is also possessed of resources which may 
perhaps surpass those within our reach. Let us then make an 
immense effort to repel their aggressions. Let us contribute 
every thing most dear to us, our persons, our means, to save 
our country from its present danger. Let us oppose to the 
unbridled ambition of the Anglo-American that patriotic en- 
thusiasm so peculiar to us. Indeed, we need only follow the 
glorious example of Matamoros, that noble city, which will be 
known in future by the name of Heroic. Its inhabitants have 
emulated the examples of Menamia and Saguntum ; they have 
determined to die at the foot of the eagle of Anahuac, defend 
their fort whilst they retain the breath of life — this plan is 
settled. The supreme government is making strenuous exer- 
tions in order to protect the territory placed under its care by 
the nation, and nothing is now wanting but for the people to 
rush in a mass to the frontier, and the independence of Mexico 
is safe.'" 

On the morning of the 5th, a battery was discovered in the 
rear of Fort Brown, which a large body of the enemy, having 
crossed the river, had erected during the night. It opened a 
severe fire, and, at the same time, a tremendous discharge of 
shell and shot was maintained from the guns at Matamoros. 
Both were answered efficiently, their position being within 
range of the heavy guns of the fort. Major Brown had caused 
bomb-proof shelters to be erected for the men, to which they 
retreated when the shells were bursting within the entrench- 
ments. The great extent of the works over which the men 
were scattered, and this precaution, rendered almost abortive the 
cannonading of the enemy, which was maintained for days with 
great spirit and precision. Among the first, and very few, 



MAJOR BROWN WOUNDED. 117 

however, who were victims of the storm, was the excellent and 
gallant commander himself. In the- midst of an incessant cross- 
fire from the Mexican batteries on both shores of the river, he 
was making his usual round of the works, and assuring him- 
self that the men were at their posts, when he was struck 
by a shell, which tore off one of his legs, inflicting a mortal 
injury. He was borne to the hospital, suffering excruciating 
torture ; but, forgetful of himself, he still cheered the men in 
their duty. The shattered limb was amputated ; and, while 
under the operation, he expressed his gratification that his 
country had not lost a younger man. A veteran in the servicet 
he could die calmly as he had lived nobly, devoted to the latest 
moment to his country and the honour of her arms." 

Meanwhile, the enemy grew bolder, under the impression 
that their guns were rapidly destroying the entire command in 
the fort. Large bodies of them surrounded it, and the erection 
of another battery was commenced on the site of General Tay- 
ldr's camp. Captain Hawkins succeeded Major Brown, and 
this was judged by Arista to be a favourable moment for a 
summons to surrender. On the afternoon of the 6th, he ac- 
cordingly sounded a parley; and, under the protection of a 
white flag, sent the following note, the merits of which would 
suffer by description or abridgment : 

" Mexican Army, Division of the North. 

"General-in-Chief: — 

" You are besieged by forces sufficient to take you ; and 
there is, moreover, a numerous division encamped near you, 
which, free from all other cares, will keep off any succours 
which you may expect to receive. 

"The respect for humanity, acknowledged at the present 
age by all civilized nations, doubtless imposes upon me the 
duty of mitigating the disasters of war. 

"This principle, which Mexicans observe above all other 
nations, obliges me to summon you, as all your efforts will be 
useless, to surrender, in order to avoid, by a capitulation, the 
entire destruction of all the soldiers under your command. 



118 A HUMANE OFFER REJECTED. 

" You will thus afford me the pleasure of complying with 
the mild and benevolent wishes above expressed, which dis- 
tinguish the character of my. countrymen, whilst I, at the same 
time, fulfil the most imperious of the duties which my country 
requires for the offences committed against it. 

" Mariano Arista. 

" God and Liberty ! 
" Head Quarters at the Tonques Del Raminero, May 6, 1846." 

To this missive, more preposterous in sentiment than futile 
in purpose, Captain Hawkins replied, that he had duly con- 
sidered its humane proposition, which, if he correctly under- 
stood, he respectfully declined. Resolved to make good his 
threat, Arista now redoubled the work of his batteries, and 
their balls were hailed, for successive hours, into the fort. The 
ammunition in the latter, although prudently used from the 
first, was so far reduced, that no reply was made to the guns 
of the Mexicans. Their troops, elated by this circumstance, 
were seen in great numbers on every side of the American 
works. Through the night the firing ceased, but the garrison 
watched constantly, expecting an assault. The next day, the 
7th, the bombardment was vigorously maintained, two or three 
men being wounded and several horses killed, from time to time, 
by the explosion of the shells. Again at night a watch was 
kept in anticipation of an assault, w T hich had been determined by 
the Mexican general, who, to justify his professions of personal 
and national valour, had a corps organized and inspected 
for the purpose. Under cover of the darkness, Captain Mans- 
field levelled the traverse thrown up by General Worth, and 
cut down the chapparal which screened the enemy's sharp 
shooters. 

Continual watching and labour had begun to weaiy the 
Americans. They had become familiarized, during four days, 
to the roar of heavy ordnance, and to the falling of balls among 
them. Their orders were, not to fire unless the enemy ap- 
proached within eighty yards of the fort, and this condition 
never occurring, they were obliged silently to watch the efforts 
to destroy them. It was a duty to test in the severest manner 



RETURN FROM POINT ISABEL. 119 

their courage and fortitude; yet not a man faltered, and many 
were the examples of heroic indifference to danger. Four days 
and nights the iron tempest raged on all sides with little intec- 
mission. Soon after its commencement the signal cannon, as 
directed by General Taylor, had been fired, to warn him of in- 
creasing peril to the friends whom he had left. At mid-day, 
on the 8th of May, there was a pause in the thunder of the 
Mexican guns. Two hours passed, and other guns were heard, 
sending their rapid echoes afar from the north-east. To the 
beleaguered Americans there was sympathy and succour in 
those deep and distant sounds. A shout of joy and hope went 
up from the fort. 



CHAPTER VII. 

General Taylor leaves Point Isabel for Fort Brown — His Force — The March — . 
Enemy reported — Rest before battle — Palo Alto — Enemy in sight — Taylor's 
order of battle — Lieut. Blake's bold reconnoissance — Taylor's confidence — 
Arista's Force and order of battle — The Enemy's first Fire — The Answer and 
its Effect — Charge by the Lancers — Their repulse — Fall of Ringgold — The 
Prairie on fire — Charge on the Train — Duncan's Battery — May's gallantry — - 
The last Charge — The Field won — The Loss — Taylor's first Despatch — His 
detailed account of the Action — Mention of Lieut. Blake — Of the Artillery 
— Of Lieut. Luther — Statement of Forces — Arista's Despatch — Misstatement 
of his Force — Explanations of Failure — False colouring — Acknowledgment 
of Loss — Remarks on the causes of the Victory. 

General Taylor had tarried a week at Point Isabel, placing 
that post in a state of defence, and making the requisite pre- 
parations to conduct a large train of supplies to the camp, which 
he had temporarily left, opposite Matamoros. Booming across 
the wide prairie, which separated him from the gallant defenders 
of Fort Brown, he had heard the deep-mouthed cannon, which 
invited his return. But he never doubted that the trust he had 
left would be faithfully kept while an arm could be raised to 
maintain it. The sun of the 7th of May was declining, when, 
at the head of twenty-three hundred men, and with a supply 



120 APPROACH TO PALO ALTO. 

train of nearly three hundred wagons, he again turned his face 
towards the Rio Grande. Two eighteen-pound guns, mounted 
on siege-carriages and drawn by ten yoke of oxen, moved 
laboriously on, in contrast with the eight light pieces of Ring- 
gold's and Duncan's Flying Artillery. Only two hundred 
sabres made the array of his cavalry, and eighteen hundred 
muskets told the complement of his infantry force. Twenty- 
seven miles separated him from the position which he had oc- 
cupied upon its banks, and after a march of one-fourth the dis- 
tance he bivouacked till the following morning. Through the 
silent watches, if the distant voice of the enemy's batteries told 
how they still menaced the destruction of the fort, it also 
cheered our troops on their way to its relief, assuring them by 
every echo, that their comrades were safe and 

" Giving proof through the night that our flag still was there !" 

As the day dawned again, the march was resumed, and con- 
tinued without interruption till nearly noon. At this hour 
fatigue might have suggested repose, but just then the scouts 
reported the Mexicans drawn up at the farther verge of a prairie, 
prepared to oppose the progress of the American army. The 
news gave fresh vigour to the troops, anxious to prove to an 
enemy, who had accused them of a cowardly retreat, how far the 
reproach was merited. The columns continued to advance, and 
a plain three miles wide extended before them. General Tay- 
lor awaited the coming of the main body and then ordered a 
halt. To prepare for the expected conflict, he gave the men 
an hour to rest, while, from the pools of fresh water near them, 
they quenched their present thirst, and filled their canteens, 
which were afterwards drained by many a wounded and weary 
foe. The train, remaining in the rear, was formed into a solid 
square. 

At two o'clock the order passed along the columns to ad- 
vance. The limbs, pained by leagues of travel, forgot their 
toil, and moved on as if just risen from the long repose of a 
home-spent night. And the backs, which had bent from sun- 
rise to meridian beneath a soldier's arms and burden, were 



Taylor's order of battle. 121 

straightened up as if conscious only of the pride of a holiday 
suit. The field widened before the moving troops ; and its 
further boundary was a dwarfish wood, rising but little above 
the feebler vegetation of that barren waste. But seeming high 
by contrast, it is so called, and gives to the spot the name of 
Palo Alto. As the columns pressed forward, another bristling 
forest was indistinctly seen in front of that stunted wood. It 
was the long line of Arista's army, posted in hostile array to 
forbid the progress of Taylor's meagre battalions. The dis- 
tance was too great to distinguish the different corps, but as 
the sun shone upon them, the fitful glitter of each extreme 
told where the pride of Mexico was stationed — her squadrons 
of brilliant lancers. 

To be prepared for the enemy, Taylor thus disposed his 
force. Beginning with the right wing, commanded by Colonel 
Twiggs, were the Fifth Infantry, under Colonel M'Intosh ; 
Ringgold's Artillery ; the Third Infantry, under Capt. Morris ; 
two eighteen-pounders, under Lieutenant Churchill; Fourth 
Infantry, under Major Allen ; two squadrons of Dragoons, 
under Captains Ker and May. The left wing, commanded by 
Colonel Belknap, was formed of a battalion of Artillery, under 
Colonel Childs ; Duncan's Light Artillery ; and the Eighth 
Infantry, under Captain Montgomery. The army advancing 
in this order, Lieutenant Blake, of the Topographical Engi- 
neers, suddenly dashed forward, and, leaving it in the rear, 
did not pause until his horse brought him within a hundred and 
fifty yards of the enemy's lines. There dismounting, he calmly 
drew forth his spy-glass, and reconnoitred them. So daring 
an act deceived them as to its object, and two of their officers 
rode forth towards him. Seeing this, he remounted, and 
rode leisurely along the whole extent of their front, carefully 
noting the force and position of the several arms. Having 
performed this singular and hazardous exploit, — the admiration 
of both opposing armies, — he rode back to his commander, 
and reported accurately the numbers and dispositions of the 
enemy. Six thousand men, many of them the veterans of other 
fields, stood there to resist the progress of two thousand, who 
11 



122 arista's order of battle. 

were to witness for the first time the clash of hostile arms. 
But when the signal odds were known to the American chief, 
he paused not, blenched not. Firm in his resolution, con- 
scious of his resources, confident of his followers, the great 
array of the foe served but to nerve his will, and exalt his hope. 
The flags of his troops were the same stripes and stars which 
had waved in triumph where he had fought before ; and, as he 
glanced along the ranks, over which they were borne, he felt 
that his progress was still to victory. 

The Mexican general had chosen a vast and open field to 
give the Americans battle. His right wing rested upon a 
gentle eminence covered with the low timber and under-growth 
of the sea-coast prairie ; and his left extended to an impassable 
salt-marsh. A thousand horse, at each extreme, menaced, in 
true time, the American flanks with an overwhelming charge. 
Twelve pieces of cannon, supported by four thousand infantry, 
were placed at intervals to command their entire front. Thus 
the opposing multitudes approached, until the arms and banners 
of each were fully discerned by the other. Over the Mexican 
host arose the gorgeous standards which marked their various 
corps, — and, among them, most honourable, that of the old 
and valiant Battalion of Tampico. — Above all, gleamed the 
tall steel, and quivered the gay pennons, of the renowned 
Lancers. It was a mild day in mid-spring, not a cloud to 
curtain the sun, still far above the horizon ; and then 

-it was a glorious sight to see, 



For one who had no friend, no brother there, 
Their rival scarfs, of mixed embroidery, 
And various arms that glittered in the air." 

Silently, the little army of the Americans kept on their way. 
The thick, rank grass forbade an echo of their steady tramp ; 
and the only sound, while M the bravest held his breath for a 
time," was the rattle of the artillery -harness, and the ring of 
the troopers' scabbards. 

"Firm paced and slow, a fearless front they form, 
Still as the breeze, but dreadful as the storm." 

Onlv seven hundred yards now separated the tw T o armies, 



DEADLY FIRE OF ARTILLERY. 123 

when from the Mexican right the artillery, with ball and grape, 
thundered a challenge to the conflict. Promptly was it ac- 
cepted. Taylor halted his columns, and gave the order to de- 
ploy into line, which was obeyed with the steadiness and pre- 
cision of their ordinary drill. The light batteries on the flanks, 
and in the centre the eighteen-pounders, were advanced about 
a hundred yards, the General in person directing the position 
of the latter. Before this movement, he had ridden along each 
brigade, and encouraged the men to be cool and deliberate. 
For some minutes there was silence through the line, when the 
order passed to answer the enemy's fire. The prompt roar of 
Duncan's guns on the left, echoed by Ringgold's on the right, 
fulfilled the command, carrying fearful messengers across the 
plain. On both sides, the deep tones of the ordnance alone 
was heard. Before Ringgold's rapid discharges, the fine 
cavalry on the Mexican left faltered, and fell back to escape 
their resistless effect. From the centre, Churchill then directed 
the more terrible eighteen-pounders, while Duncan, pressing 
nearer to the enemy's right, made it share the ruin of the other 
extreme. The cannon on both sides, the only arm employed, 
continued thus for nearly an hour to maintain the fight. The 
Fifth Regiment of Infantry was then detached, and advanced 
to the right and front, nearly half a mile, with orders to turn 
the left flank of the Mexicans, who had gradually receded be- 
fore the artillery, which, at every discharge, opened hideous 
breaches in the living wall of their lines. 

Arista witnessed with painful surprise the frequent service and 
the deadly precision of the American guns, while his own, less 
rapid, often failed in their aim. Bravery and firmness were not 
wanting in his ranks, but he soon perceived that in a contest 
of artillery only, his force must speedily melt away before the 
inevitable fire directed against it. He therefore ordered a 
charge by the cavalry on his left, commanded by General Tor- 
rejon, while he led that on the right, with his infantry, against 
that portion of the American line respectively opposed to them. 
Torrejon came ; and not less than a thousand horse, supported 
by two field-pieces, dashed with him upon our right. The 



124 THE PRAIRIE ON FIRE. 

Fifth and Third Regiments were ordered to receive him ; and 
as the splendid red lancers bore rapidly up, discharging their 
escopettes, the Fifth, thrown into cavalry square, returned the 
salute from one of its sides with a volley, which carried con- 
fusion into their foremost ranks. But recovering from the 
check, they still pressed gallantly towards our rear. The Third 
Infantry, promptly detached to the extreme right, covering the 
train, prepared to repel them ; while Lieutenant Ridgely, with 
a section of Ringgold's battery, rushed to the left of the Fifth, 
and wheeling his Hying pieces into position, before Torrejon's 
tardy guns were unlimbered, poured a ruinous fire into their 
columns, which they vainly struggled to resist. Precipitately 
they turned and fled, their retreating squadrons lessened at 
every step by the iron storm which pursued them. 

While this encounter proceeded on one wing, Ringgold, to 
the right of the eighteen-pounders, occupying the road, con- 
tinued with them to sweep the enemy's left. Thus engaged, 
a ball from one of their guns struck that daring officer and his 
horse, and, fatally mangled, both were dashed to the ground. 
Friends sprang to his aid, but forgetful of self, he bade them 
do their duty in the battle, and leave him to his fate. He was 
borne from the field, and Lieutenant Shover succeeded him in 
command, worthily sustaining the action till its close. 

Meanwhile Duncan advanced on the left, and supported by 
the Eighth Infantry, efficiently maintained the conflict of that 
extreme for two hours, the whole wing exposed during that 
time to a galling fire from the opposing artillery. The long 
grass of the prairie, parched by the constant blaze of the guns 
on either side, was suddenly lighted into flame by a discharge 
from one of Duncan's pieces. The smoke, rolling in heavy 
masses, concealed each army from the other, and for a time the 
battle paused. As the sea-breeze blew parallel to their fronts, 
it for a moment cleared the smoke on our left, and disclosed 
to the enemy that wing with its field-pieces, advancing to the 
right of its first position. The occasion was not lost to the 
quick eye of Duncan, who perceived the whole cavalry and 
infantry force of the Mexican right, two thousand men, moving 



DISCOMFITURE OF THE MEXICANS. 125 

upon our train. Again the smoke of the burning prairie 
screened from each the adverse lines. But Duncan, under 
orders of Col. Belknap, wheeled his horses, and rushing in the 
direction of the enemy's lancers, halted within musket range, 
and as the air suddenly cleared again, he was in a position to 
receive them. So rapid was the movement, that they who, but 
an instant before, had seen the battery flying in another direc- 
tion, halted in astonishment. One section of it poured a vol- 
ley of shot and shells in their ranks, while another was directed 
against the regiments of foot, just then appearing from the 
chapparal, supported by two other squadrons of horse. The 
latter bodies, infantry and cavalry, retired to the chapparal, 
while the former stood firm before a fire which cut deep gaps 
in their solid masses. Again their fellows, having re-formed, 
debouched from the wood, and advanced steadily and valiantly 
in the teeth of the engines whose deadly aim had just driven 
them back. But the storm was resistless, and the infantry 
broke in confusion. Their supporting cavalry bore up but a 
moment longer, and then turned also. The whole body now 
fled, and in their retreating corps, the flying artillery kept up 
the havoc which it had begun. 

Before and during these movements on the left of our line, 
a change in the relative position of both armies had been 
effected. The enemy, 'pressed by our right, had formed his 
front nearly at right angles to its original line. Evening was 
approaching, when Captain May was ordered by General Tay- 
lor to drive the enemy's cavalry on his left flank. In the move- 
ment to execute this order, which he was eager to attempt in 
the face of fearful odds, he passed the General and his staff", 
and at the same moment received a direct volley from the 
enemy's batteries, which, wounding five men and killing six 
horses, deprived him at one blow of a twentieth of his troop. 
He gained, however, a position on the right, and there per- 
ceiving the impossibility of charging successfully a force ten 
times his own, returned to his first position. 

The action on our right, interrupted for an hour by the 
burning grass, was renewed, the enemy constantly, though 
11* 



126 NIGHT UPON THE BATTLE-FIELD. 

steadily, falling back. A demonstration by his' cavalry was 
made on the eighteen-pounders, at a moment when they were 
supported only by Ker's dragoons and the artillery battalion. 
But the latter, forming into square, repelled the charge, which 
was the last desperate effort to capture the pieces, that bore 
destruction to all before them. The shades of night only ar- 
rested the fatal work which the day permitted. The Mexican 
army, diminished by hundreds of wounded and dead, retreated 
behind the chapparal, while the Americans bivouacked upon 
the field so hardly and valiantly won. 

The field had been won, but the enemy was not conquered. 
Night, as it closed the bloody labours of the day, brought time 
for thought upon the morrow. It brought, too, rumours of 
numerous and fresh troops, reinforcing the Mexican army, 
which, it was apprehended, would recede to a new and better 
position, resolved still to oppose the advance of the small and 
jaded body of the Americans. Notwithstanding the success 
of the first encounter, it was therefore thought expedient to 
hold a consultation of officers on the policy of proceeding 
against a foe, far superior in numbers, and proved to possess 
both courage and endurance. The result of the council was 
a unanimous decision to move forward on the following morn- 
ing. That this had been Taylor's constant determination need 
hardly be added. He feared not defeat before a blow had been 
struck. Now he regarded a future triumph as the certain 
sequel of a conflict. 

While the mass of the wearied troops slept beside their arms, 
with' only the earth for their bed and the sky for its canopy, 
parties of them were following up the toil of the day by seeking 
the wounded left upon the field, and ministering to their com- 
fort. Scores of their unfortunate adversaries shared these hu- 
mane offices. Their loss in killed and wounded, as afterwards 
reported, was six hundred. The loss on our side was nine 
killed and forty-four wounded. Among the latter was Captain 
Page, an officer of great merit, who soon afterwards died. The 
fate of the gallant Ringgold has already been mentioned. If 
others were more fortunate, they were equally exposed to 



Taylor's account of the battle. 127 

danger. General Taylor himself was often where the fire of 
the enemy was hottest, and set the example to his men of 
braving the death which constantly menaced their ranks. Of 
this glorious action of Palo Alto, the following is the brief and 
unpretending account which he prepared before the morning 
of the 9th : 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Camp at Palo Alto, Texas, May 9, 1846. 

Sir : I have the honour to report that I was met near this 
! place yesterday, on my march from Point Isabel, by the Mexi- 
can forces, and after an action of about five hours, dislodged 
them from their position and encamped upon the field. Our 
artillery, consisting of two eighteen-pounders and two light 
batteries, was the arm chiefly engaged, and to the excellent 
manner in which it was manoeuvred and served is our success 
mainly due. 

The strength of the enemy is believed to have been about 
6000 men, with seven pieces of artillery, and 800 cavalry. 
His loss is probably at least one hundred killed. Our strength 
did not exceed, all told, twenty-three hundred, while our loss 
was comparatively trifling — four men killed, three officers and 
thirty-seven men wounded, several of the latter mortally. I 
regret to say that Major Ringgold, 2d artillery, and Captain 
Page, 4th infantry, are severely wounded. Lieutenant Luther, 
2d artillery, slightly so. 

The enemy has fallen back, and it is believed has re-passed 
the river. I have advanced parties now thrown forward in his 
direction, and shall move the main body immediately. 

In the haste of this report, I can only say that the officers 
and men behaved in the most admirable manner throughout 
the action. I shall have the pleasure of making a more de- 
tailed report when those of the different commanders shall be 
received. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 



128 L I N E OF BATTLE. 

A few days afterwards, the annexed despatch was prepared. 
Its details are essential as £ matter of justice to the officers 
and men, who merited all the encomiums of their worthy com- 
mander. The document is dated, Head Quarters, Camp near 
Matamoras, May 16, 1846, and, after an introductory sentence, 
proceeds as follows : 

" The main body of the Army of Occupation marched under 
my immediate orders from Point Isabel on the evening of the 
7th of May, and bivouacked seven miles from that place. 

" Our march was resumed the following morning. About 
noon, when our advance of cavalry had reached the water-hole 
of ' Palo Alto,' the Mexican troops were reported in our front, 
and were soon discovered occupying the road in force. I 
ordered a halt upon reaching the water, with a view to rest and 
refresh the men, and to form deliberately our line of battle. 
The Mexican line was now plainly visible across the prairie, 
and about three-quarters of a mile distant. Their left, which 
was composed of a heavy force of cavalry, occupied the road. 
resting upon a thicket of chapparal, while masses of infantry 
were discovered in succession on the right, greatly outnumber- 
ing our own force. 

" Our line of battle was now formed in the following order, 
commencing on the extreme right : — 5th Infantry, commanded 
by Lieutenant Colonel M'Intosh ; Major Ringgold's Artillery; 3d 
Infantry, commanded by Captain L. N. Morris ; two eighteen- 
pounders, commanded by Lieutenant Churchill; 3d Artillery; 
4th Infantry, commanded by Major G. W. Allen ; the 3d and 4th 
regiments composed the Third Brigade, under command of 
Lieutenant Colonel Garland ; and all the above corps, together 
with two squadrons of Dragoons, under Captains Ker and 
May, composed the right wing, under the orders of Colonel 
Twiggs. The left was formed by the Battalion of Artillery, 
commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Childs, Captain Duncan's 
Light Artillery, and the Eighth Infantry, under Captain Mont- 
gomery — all forming the First Brigade, under command of 
Lieutenant Colonel Belknap. The train was parked near the 



MENTION OF LIEUT. BLAKE. 129 

water, under direction of Captains Crossman and Myers, and 
protected by Captain Ker's squadron. 

" About 2 o'clock, we took up the march, by heads of 
columns, in the direction of the enemy — the eighteen-pounder 
battery following the road. While the columns were advancing, 
Lieutenant Blake, topographical engineer, volunteered a re- 
connoissance of the enemy's line, which was handsomely per- 
formed, and resulted in the discovery of at least two batteries 
of artillery in the intervals of their cavalry and infantry. These 
batteries were soon opened upon us, when I ordered the 
columns halted and deployed into line, and the fire to be re- 
turned by all our artillery. The Eighth Infantry, on our extreme 
left, was thrown back to secure that flank. The first fires of^ 
the enemy did little execution, while our eighteen-pounders 
and Major Ringgold's Artillery soon dispersed the cavalry 
which formed his left. Captain Duncan's battery, thrown for- 
ward in advance of the line, was doing good execution at this 
time. Captain May's squadron was now detached to support 
that battery, and the left of our position. The Mexican cavalry, 
with two pieces of artillery, were now reported to be moving 
through the chapparal to our right to threaten that flank, or 
make a demonstration against the train. The Fifth Infantry was 
immediately detached to check this movement, and, supported 
by Lieutenant Ridgely, with a section of Major Ringgold's 
battery, and Captain Walker's company of volunteers, effectu- 
ally repulsed the enemy — the Fifth Infantry repelling a charge 
of lancers, and the artillery doing great execution in their 
ranks. The Third Infantry was now detached to the right as 
a still further security to that flank, yet threatened by the en- 
emy. Major Ringgold, with the remaining s^btion,kept up his 
fire from an advanced position, and was supported by the 
Fourth Infantry. 

" The grass of the prairie had been accidentally fired by our 
artillery, and the volumes of smoke now partially concealed the 
armies from each other. As the enemy's left had evidently 
been driven back, and left the road free, the cannonade having 
been suspended, I ordered forward the eighteen-pounders on the 



130 PAGE — RINGGOLD — LUTHER. 

road nearly to the position first occupied by the Mexican cavalry, 
and caused the First brigade to take up a new position still on 
the left of the eighteen-pounder battery. The Fifth was ad- 
vanced from its former position and occupied a point on the 
extreme right of the new line. The enemy made a change of 
position corresponding to our own, and after a suspension of 
nearly an hour the action was resumed. 

» The fire of artillery was now most destructive — openings I 
were constantly .made through the enemy's ranks by our fire, ,1 
and the constancy with which the Mexican infantry sustained I 
this severe cannonade was a theme of universal remark and 
admiration. Captain May's squadron was detached to make a< 
demonstration on the left of the enemy's position, and suffered 
severely from the fire of artillery to which it was for some time i 
exposed. 

" The Fourth Infantry, which had been ordered to support 
the eighteen-pounder battery, was exposed to a most galling fire 
of artillery, by which several men were killed, and Captain 
Page dangerously wounded. The enemy's fire was directed I 
against our eighteen-pounder battery, and the guns under 
Major Ringgold in its vicinity. The Major himself, while 
coolly directing the fire of his pieces, was struck by a cannon 
ball and mortally wounded. 

" In the mean time, the Battalion of Artillery, under Lieu-' 
tenant Colonel Childs, had been brought up to support the^ 
artillery on our right. A strong demonstration of cavalry was* 
now made by the enemy against this part of our line, and the 
column continued to advance under a severe fire from the: 
eighteen-pounders. The battalion was instantly formed in.i 
square, and hekL ready to receive the charge of cavalry, but 
when the advancing squadrons were within close range, aD 
deadly fire of canister from the eighteen-pounders dispersed 
them. A brisk fire of small-arms was now opened upon the 
square, by which one officer, Lieutenant Luther, 2d artillery, 
was slightly wounded, but a well directed volley from the front 
of the square silenced all further firing from the enemy in this 
quarter. It was now nearly dark, and the action was closed 



LOSS AND COMPARATIVE FORCE. 131 

■on the right of our line, the enemy having been completely 
driven back from his position, and foiled in every attempt against 
our line. 

"While the above was going forward on our right, and 
under my own eye, the enemy had made a serious attempt 
against the left of our line. Captain Duncan instantly per- 
ceived the movement, and by the bold and brilliant manccuvre- 
ing of his battery, completely repulsed several successive 
efforts of the enemy to advance in force upon our left flank. 
Supported in succession by the 8th Infantry and Captain 
Ker's squadron of Dragoons, he gallantly held the enemy at 
bay, and finally drove him, with immense loss, from the field. 
The action here and along the whole line, continued until 
dark, when the enemy retired into the chapparal in rear of 
his position. Our army bivouacked on the ground it occu- 
pied. During the afternoon the train had been moved forward 
about half a mile, and was parked in rear of the new posi- 
tion. 

H Our loss this day was nine killed, forty-four w r ounded, and 
two missing. Among the wounded were Major Ringgold, 
who has since died, and Captain Page dangerously wounded. 
Lieutenant Luther slightly so. 

" Our own force is shown by the field report to have been 177 
officers and 2111 men — aggregate 2288. The Mexican force, 
according to the statements of their own officers, was not less 
than 6000 regular troops, with ten pieces of artillery, and pro- 
bably exceeded that number ; the irregular force not known. 
Their loss was not less than 200 killed and 400 wounded ; 
probably greater. This estimate is very moderate, and formed 
upon the number actually counted upon the field and upon the 
reports of their own officers. 

" As already reported in my first brief despatch, the conduct 
of our officers and men was every thing that could be desired. 
Exposed for hours to the severest trial, cannonade of artillery, 
our troops displayed a coolness and constancy, which gave me 
throughout the assurance of victory." 

With this unvarnished tale it is interesting to compare 



132 arista's despatch. 

the ingenious account given by General Arista of the same oc- 
currences. If it appears uncandid in any particular, or in its 
spirit, the embarrassing position of the writer must be his 
apology. It is addressed to the Mexican Minister of War and 
Marine. 

" Constant in my purpose of preventing General Taylor from 
uniting the forces which he brought from the Fronton of Sante 
Isabel, with those which he left opposite Matamoros, I moved 
this day from the Fanques del Raminero, whence I despatched 
my last extraordinary courier, and took the direction of Palo 
Alto, as soon as my spies informed me that the enemy had left 
Fronton, with the determination of introducing into his fort 
wagons loaded with provisions and heavy artillery. 

" I arrived opposite Palo Alto about one o'clock, and ob- 
served that the enemy was entering that position. 

" With all ray forces, I established the line of battle in a 
great plain, my right resting upon an elevation, and my left on 
a slough of difficult passage. 

" Scarcely was the first cannon fired, when there arrived 
General D. Pedro de Ampudia, second in command, whom I 
had ordered to join me after having covered the points which 
might serve to besiege the enemy in the forts opposite Mata- 
moros. 

" The forces under my orders amounted to three thousand 
men, and twelve pieces of artillery; those of the invaders 
were three thousand, rather less than more, and were superior 
in artillery, since they had twenty pieces of the calibre of six- 
teen and eighteen pounds. 

" The battle commenced so ardently, that the fire of cannon 
did not cease a single moment. In the course of it, the enemy 
wished to follow the road to Matamoros, to raise the siege of 
his troops ; with which object he fired the grass, and formed in 
front of his line of battle a smoke so thick, that he succeeded 
in covering himself from our view, but by means of manoeuvres 
this was twice embarrassed. 

" General Taylor maintained his attack rather defensively 
than offensively, employing his best arm, which is artillery. 



arista's misstatements. 133 

protected by half of the infantry, and all of his cavalry, keeping 
the remainder fortified in the ravine, about two thousand yards 
from the field of battle. 

" I was anxious for the charge, because the fire of cannon 
did much damage in our ranks, and I instructed General D. 
Anastasio Torrejon to execute it with the greater part of the 
cavalry, by our left flank, with some columns of infantry, and 
the remainder of the cavalry. 

" I was waiting the moment when that general should exe- 
cute the charge, and the effect of it should begin to be seen, 
in order to give the impulse on the right ; but he was checked 
by a fire of the enemy, which defended a slough that embar- 
rassed the attack. 

" Some battalions, becoming impatient by the loss which 
they suffered, fell into disorder, demanding to advance or fall 
back. I immediately caused them to charge with a column 
of cavalry, under the command of Colonel D. Cayetano Mon- 
tero ; the result of this operation being that the dispersed corps 
repaired their fault as far as possible, marching towards the 
enemy, who, in consequence of his distance, was enabled to 
fall back upon his reserve, and night coming on, the battle was 
concluded, the field remaining for our arms. 

"Every suitable measure was then adopted, and the division 
took up a more concentrated curve in the same scene of action. 

" The combat was long and bloody, which may be estimated 
from the calculations made by the commandant general of artil- 
lery, General D. Thomas Requena, who assures me that the 
enemy threw about three thousand cannon-shots from two in 
the afternoon, when the battle commenced, until seven at night, 
when it terminated, — six hundred and fifty being fired on our 
side. 

11 The national arms shone forth, since they did not yield a 
hand's breadth of ground, notwithstanding the superiority in 
artillery of the enemy, who suffered much damage. 

" Our troops have to lament the loss of two hundred and 
fifty-two men dispersed, wounded, and killed, — the last worthy 
12 



134 REMARKS ON THE BATTLE. 

of national recollection and gratitude for the intrepidity with 
whir h they died fighting for the most sacred of causes. 

"Will your excellency please with his note to report to his 
excellency the President, representing to him that I will take 
care to give a circumstantial account of this deed of arms ; 
and recommending to him the good conduct of all the generals, 
chiefs, officers, and soldiers under my orders, for sustaining so 
bloody a combat, which does honour to our arms, and exhibits 
their discipline." 

This document is dated, " In sight of the Enemy, May Sth." 
Throughout this action, memorable alike as the first in which 
the armies of the United States and Mexico were in open field, 
and as the beginning of a series of extraordinary victories, the 
enemy had every apparent advantage to secure the day. He 
had selected his own ground, the ground to which his cavalry 
was accustomed, and on which there was no natural impedi- 
ment to their movements ; and that body alone equalled the 
whole force of every arm which he determined to resist. There 
was, too, active daring, and passive courage in his ranks. His 
common soldiers had redeemed even the pledges of his boast- 
ing generals. What then was the cause of his failure ? One, 
certainly, is found in the inferiority of his artillery, which in no 
respect was served as our own. But this one cause will not 
explain a reverse so disastrous. The chief reason for it must 
be sought in the comparative abilities of the two commanders, 
and the spirit of their subordinates. Before the battle, Arista 
must have been ignorant of the power of our light artillery ; 
but when he had witnessed it, and discovered that his only 
hope of success was in a close conflict and the capture of the 
pieces, he should have charged up to our lines at any partial 
sacrifice. It is true that he thrice attempted this at different 
points, and with his overwhelming numbers, why should he 
have failed? The want of impetuous, self-abandoning, indo- 
mitable bravery in his officers aifords the only explanation. 
Their men sustained the destructive volleys of our guns with 
noble firmness, and had they been led on by superiors worthy 



MARCH FROM PALO ALTO. 135 

of them, they might have more nearly balanced the fortunes 
of the clay, even if they had failed to overpower their adver- 
saries, who entered the field reckless of any opposing force, 
and resolved to maintain it at any cost. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Mexican Army retreating — Taylor's March resumed — Mexican Dead and 
Wounded — Skirmishes with the Enemy — Mexican Army formed — Its Posi- 
tion — La Resaca de la Palma — The Battle commenced — The Artillery — In- 
fantry engaged — Close Quarters — The Enemy's Batteries — May ordered to 
charge them — Ridgely's Gallantry — May's furious Onset — Inge's and 
Sackett's Death — Batteries captured — La Vega a Prisoner — The Fifth In- 
fantry's charge — Personal deeds — The Enemy's bravery — Officers Wounded 
and Killed — Arista's Camp taken — The Tampico Battalion — Rout of the 
Enemy — The Booty — The Loss — Taylor's first Despatch — His detailed 
Account — Encomiums on his Troops — Mistakes of Arista — Misery of routed 
Troops — Gen. Taylor's care of the Wounded — His return to Point Isabel — 
Congratulates his Troops — Mexican Commander's Manifesto — Remarks on 
causes of his Defeat — Inferiority of Officers — Authority cited — Self-devotion 
of American Officers — Examples — Anecdotes of Heroism — Ridgely — Page — 
Payne — Ringgold — Richey — Woods and Hays — Augur and Cochrane — 
Barbour — May — Melton — Lincoln and Jordan — Belknap and Scott — Mcin- 
tosh — Letter of a Witness. 

The sun of the ninth of May was raising the curtain of mist, 
which hung across the field of Palo Alto, when the rear guard 
of the Mexican army was descried, gradually retiring through 
the distant chapparal. Although defeated in the contest of the 
previous day, its numbers were still formidable, and the rumours 
of the night increased them by large bodies of fresh troops. 
Anticipating another struggle before he should reach the Rio 
Grande, General Taylor made the requisite preparations for it. 
To place the train beyond the reach of accident, it was left in 
its position strongly parked, and entrenched, with four pieces 
of artillery and the artillery battalion to defend it. The 
wounded, by such modes of carriage as circumstances per- 
mitted, were sent back to Point Isabel ; and then, with a force 
diminished by the train guard, and by the losses of the late 
battle, the resolute commander gave the order for the advance. 

I 



136 RECONNOITRING AND SKIRMISHING. 

As the ground, which had been, occupied by the Mexicans 
was crossed, the dreadful tokens of the havoc made among 
them by the American artillery were exhibited on every side. 
Not only were the rigid and insensible bodies of the dead 
there, but the still writhing and conscious forms of the living, 
variously mutilated and mangled ; who, forsaken by their 
friends, had passed the night on the chill earth, damp with 
their own blood, with no kind hand to stanch its flow, to bind 
up their wounds, or to wet their parched lips with a drop of 
water. As the columns, which, fulfilling the day before the 
soldier's mission, had caused their sufferings, marched by them 
to another field of strife and anguish, the pained and panting 
wretches, some by words and some by looks alone, would 
piteously ask for drink or food, or succour in their helplessness. 
What their enemies could give was freely given for the mo- 
ment, and these then passed on, soon to forget the sad chances 
of one battle in the rage of another. 

The march was continued until the edge of the chapparal 
was reached, which belted by a single narrow prairie extends 
about six miles to the bottom lands of the river. General 
Taylor had thrown forward a part of the first brigade under 
Capt. C. F. Smith, the second artillery and a few light com- 
panies, the whole commanded by Capt. McCall, to ascertain 
the enemy's force and position. It was three o'clock in the 
afternoon, when report was brought him that they had made a 
stand in the road, which was defended by artillery. An hour 
later, the main body under Taylor, overtook Capt. McCall, 
who reported that the Mexicans were formed in force in front. 
His command had skirmished with them and ascertained their 
position. Advancing into the chapparal, he had encountered 
small parties, which were fired upon ; and then proceeding he 
had reached the strip of open land, which interrupts the broad 
reach of undergrowth. Through this clear space a ravine ex- 
tends, which the road crosses. In the ravine and against the 
chapparal beyond it, the Mexicans were posted. They had 
chosen La Resaca dc la Palma to make their second stand 
against American arms. Their position was well selected for 
I 



LA RESACA DE LA PAL MA. 137 

defence. The ravine is about four feet deep and from one to 
two -"hundred feet wide. Its bed in rainy seasons forms a se- 
ries of pools, which are sometimes swollen so as to unite in 
one continuous line of water. With dry weather this subsides, 
hence the name " Resaca de la Palma." The Mexicans stood 
entrenched in this natural ditch, and against the dense thicket 
extending on its farther bank. As the right of Capt. McCall's 
detachment debouched from the wood facing them, a masked 
battery opened upon it, killing one man and wounding two 
others. Meanwhile, Lieut. Dobbins on the left, commanding 
a small party, was charged by a body of Mexicans, who sud- 
denly emerged from the ravine. The foremost was shot by 
the brave lieutenant himself, and his men, following the exam- 
ple of his fire, caused the rest to retreat. Immediately the 
battery opened upon him and he fell wounded, but recovering 
his feet, he withdrew his party into the chapparal. At this 
moment a troop of cavalry rode by, and Lieut. Dobbins order- 
ing a fire upon them they also rapidly retreated. 

When General Taylor came up, he at once ordered Ridge- 
■Jy's battery to advance upon the road, supported by the Third, 
Fourth and Fifth Infantry, and McCall's command on either 
side of it. The latter immediately engaged the enemy, and 
i was seconded by the light artillery, which speedily brought on 
I a general action. As on the previous day, the execution of the 
! artillery was terrible. But the enemy answered it with spirit 
and effect, having eight pieces posted on the road. During 
the necessary pauses in the discharges of the latter, Ridgely 
contrived to push forward his own, until they were only one 
hundred yards from those of the enemy, and at this murderous 
proximity, the firing was maintained with grape and cannister. 
Admirably did Ridgely and his men labour in this terrible ser- 
vice, the sinewy arms and broad chests of the latter bared as 
for some peaceful toil, while his unerring eye gave assurance 
that not a charge was sped in vain. 

The infantry, at the same time, was pressing forward, and 
the sharp rattle of musketry on both sides accompanied the 
deep din of the ordnance. As each volley told upon the 
12 * 



138 CHARGE BY MAY'S DRAGOONS. 

ranks of the enemy, the wild shouts of our eager troops rivalled' 
the clamour of their arms. Their force was extended and di- 
vided by the compact thickets which impeded their advance/ 
The Third Regiment, under Captain Morris, and the Fourth, 
under Major Allen, still gaining ground, formed in the ravine. 
Here the fight was often hand to hand, and Mexico's bravest 
veterans resisted with every arm the impetuous onset of thet 
Americans ; but, except her artillery, no force could arrest 
them. That continued in position, and was used with severe 
efficiency. One piece on the right had been captured ; but no 
successful effort had been made towards those in the centre, 
which covered the Mexican infantry in several desperate at- 
tempts to retake the captured gun. 

General Taylor had for some time noted the strength of the 
enemy's position on the road, and the constant execution of 
his batteries upon our exposed lines. He called Captain May, \ 
who, with his Dragoons, had awaited orders in the rear, and 
told him to charge the artillery of the enemy, and take it, 
" nolens volens." " I will do it!" said May ; and, turning to 
his troop, he rose in his stirrups, pointed to the guns before 
him, and exclaiming, "Remember your regiment! — Men, 
follow !" he struck his charger, and bounded on before them 
down the narrow road. A deafening cheer answered his call, : 
and they dashed on towards the cannons' mouths. For a mo- 
ment, their career was checked by Ridgely's battery in the road. 
" Stop," said he, to the headlong leader, " till I draw their ' 
fire" — and with the word, his guns poured their iron torrent'; 
on the opposing batteries. It was met by a discharge from 
theirs, at the same moment, and while the smoke still rolled 
around them, May darted forward again to the charge. The 
noble horse which bore him outstripped his troop ; and, as he 
neared the enemy's breastworks, he turned to wave them on 
when only the impetuous Inge was by to answer. But the 
squadron, fast as their straining steeds could fly, was hastening 
on, their upraised sabres flashing in the sun, when a volley 
from the higher battery swept fearfully upon their column. 
Seven men and eighteen horses were crushed beneath it. 



I. ' "' ' '•"■"";■ 




enemy's batteries silenced. 139 

Among them, Inge and Sackett perished. But the rest paused 
not. At a bound, May cleared the battery. The horses of a 
few others were equal to the leap, and their impetus carried 
them beyond the guns. Wheeling again, they drove the gun- 
ners off, and Captain Graham, and Lieutenants' Pleasanton and 
Winship, with others, coming up, were masters of the battery. 
But they were surrounded by enemies determined not to yield 
their weapons without a struggle. The guns were recovered ; 
and the little band of dragoons again dispersed those who 
manned them. One officer alone remained, who endeavoured 
to rally his men, and, with match in hand, was about to dis- 
charge a piece, when May dashed up, and summoned him to 
yield. " General La Vega is a prisoner," answered the brave 
Mexican, and gave up his sword. Exposed to a shower of 
musketry, he was conducted by Lieutenant Stevens to the rear 
of our lines. 

The batteries, though silenced, could not be held by the few 
dragoons who had taken them. The Eighth Infantry, mean- 
while, had been fiercely engaged on the right of the road, and 
a part of the Fifth on the left. These were now ordered to 
charge the batteries, and in turn, though resisted inch by inch, 
they took them, and finally drove the enemy at the bayonet's 
point from them and from his position on the left. In this as- 
sault many fell, and the daring Captain Hooe, leading on his 
company, had his arm shattered by a grape, which struck him 
to the ground. Col. Belknap, Lieut. Col. Payne, Captain 
Montgomery, and Captain Scott, cheered on the men of the 
Eighth in this gallant charge Lieut. Col. Mcintosh, the ve- 
teran hero of other fields, led the Fifth. After the loss of their 
artillery, the Mexicans still fought desperately, and all along 
the ravine the contest was sustained by them with stubborn 
bravery. Captain Morris, with Lieutenants Woods and Hays, 
followed by a score of men, charged through a pond and cap- 
tured a field-piece, which was sweeping down the ranks of the 
Fourth. The chapparal presented even greater obstacles to 
the onward course of our troops than the storm of the enemy's 
cannon. From these natural walls the musketry of the Mexi- 



140 ROUT OF THE MEXICANS. 

> 

cans poured a deadly fire. In a charge upon them Mcintosh 
fell, pierced in the throat with a bayonet, and while thus pinned 
to the ground, his sword cleft his antagonist. Others rushed 
upon him, and thrust their bayonets through his limbs. Lieut. 
Jordan, too, was wounded in one of the reckless assaults made 
through the chapparal ; and Lieut. Cochrane fell resisting a 
charge of cavalry, pierced with seven lance-wounds. 

While these close encounters with the enemy were in pro- 
gress, the artillery had ceased. Duncan's battery had been 
unemployed, as from its position it would have raked our lines, 
and Ridgely's, too, was silent, as friends and foes were clutched 
in desperate disorder along the thickets, and in the open spaces, 
to which the latter were driven. Worthily they strove to re- 
cover their lost position. The camp and head-quarters of 
Arista had been taken, and the rout of the Mexicans became 
general. A solitary banner still defied the onset of the victors. 
It was that of the Tampico Battalion, which had never yielded 
on any other field. Against fate and hope they fought on, 
until all were cut down. The standard-bearer, resolved to save 
his honoured charge, tore it from the staff and fled. But rid- 
den down by our pursuing dragoons, he was made prisoner, 
and it was seized, the noblest trophy of the field. During 
the struggle of the enemy to beat back our resistless muskets, 
the artillery had advanced, and when, at every point, the Mexi- 
cans sought safety in flight, the batteries opened upon thern 
with terrible effect. The artillery battalion, which, during the 
battle, had been left in the rear to guard the train, was now 
ordered to the pursuit. Ker's dragoons and Duncan's battery 
also followed the fleeing thousands, completing the work of 
their defeat, and making many prisoners. 

In this daring and successful engagement General Taylor had 
only seventeen hundred men. The enemy, reinforced on the 
night of the 8th, opposed him with not less than seven thou- 
sand chosen troops, accustomed to war, and perfectly prepared 
for action, with a splendid body of cavalry and eight pieces of 
artillery. So total was the rout that all their camp contained 
was captured. The plate and private property, correspondence 






GENERAL TAYLOR'S FIRST REPORT. 141 

of their general-in-chief, the arras, ammunition, standards, pro- 
visions, pack-saddles, and every equipment of seven thousand 
men and two thousand horses, save what they wore in their 
precipitous flight, fell into the hands of the victors. The 
triumph, however, was not bought without the price of every 
battle-field. In our ranks one hundred and ten were killed 
and wounded, and ten times that number in those of the 
enemy. 

On the same day the subjoined brief despatch was prepared 
by General Taylor. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation 
Camp at Resaca de la Palma, 3 miles from Matamoros, 
10 o'clock P. M., May 9, 1846. 

Sir : I have the honour to report that I marched with the 
main body of the army at two o'clock to-day, having previ- 
ously thrown forward a body of light infantry into the forest 
which covers the Matamoros road. When near the spot where 
I am now encamped, my advance discovered that a ravine 
crossing the road had been occupied by the enemy with artil- 
lery. I immediately ordered a battery of field artillery to 
sweep the position, flanking and sustaining it by the 3d, 4th, 
and 5th regiments, deployed as skirmishers to the right and left. 
A heavy fire of artillery and of musketry was kept up for some 
time, until finally the enemy's batteries were carried in succes- 
sion by a squadron of dragoons and the regiments of infantry 
that were on the ground. He was soon driven from his posi- 
tion, and pursued by a squadron of dragoons, battalion of ar- 
tillery, 3d infantry, and a light battery, to the river. Our vic- 
tory has been complete. Eight pieces of artillery, with a great 
quantity of ammunition, three standards, and some one hun- 
dred prisoners have been taken ; among the latter, General La 
Vega, and several other officers. One general is understood to 
have been killed. The enemy has recrossed the river, and I 
am sure will not again molest us on this bank. 

The loss of the enemy in killed has been most severe. Our 
own has been very heavy, and I deeply regret to report that 
Lieutenant Inge, 2d dragoons, Lieutenant Cochrane, 4th in- 



142 PRAISES HIS TROOPS. 

fantry, and Lieutenant Chadbourne, 8th infantry, were killed 
on the field. Lieutenant Colonel Payne, 4th artillery, Lieu- 
tenant Colonel Mcintosh, Lieutenant Dobbins, 3d infantry; 
Captain Hooe and Lieutenant Fowler, 5th infantry; and Cap- 
tain Montgomery, Lieutenants Gates, Selden, McClay, Bur- 
bank, and Jordan, 8th infantry, were wounded. The extent 
of our loss in killed and wounded is not yet ascertained, and 
is reserved for a more detailed report. 

The affair of to-day may be regarded as a proper supple- 
ment to the cannonade of yesterday ; and the two taken to- 
gether, exhibit the coolness and gallantry of our officers and 
men in the most favourable light. All have done their duty, 
and done it nobly. It will be my pride, in a more circum- 
stantial report of both actions, to dwell upon particular in- 
stances of individual distinction. 

It affords me peculiar pleasure to report that the field-work 
opposite Matamoros has sustained itself handsomely during a 
cannonade and bombardment of 160 hours. But the pleasure 
is alloyed with profound regret at the loss of its heroic and in- 
domitable commander, Major Brown, who died to-day from 
the effect of a shell. His loss would be a severe one to the 
service at any time, but to the army under my orders, it is in- 
deed irreparable. One officer and one non-commissioned officer 
killed, and ten men wounded, comprise all the casualties in- 
cident to this severe bombardment. 

I inadvertently omitted to mention the capture of a large 
number of pack-mules left in the Mexican camp. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor. 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 

A few days afterwards General Taylor wrote a more detailed 
report of the battle. The following extracts from it afford 
the best general account of the actions, and do justice to the 
officers and men engaged in it. 

" Early in the morning of the 9th instant, the enemy, who 
had encamped near the field of battle of the day previous, was 



TAYLOR'S DETAILED REPORT. 143 

discovered moving by his left flank, evidently in retreat ; and 
perhaps at the same time to gain a new position on the road to 
Matamoros, and there again resist our advance. 

" I ordered the supply train to be strongly parked at its po- 
sition, and left with it four pieces of artillery — the two eighteen- 
pounders which had done such good service on the previous 
day — and two twelve-pounders which had not been in the 
action. The wounded officers and men were at the same time 
sent back to Point Isabel. I then moved forward with the 
columns to the edge of the chapparal or forest, which extends 
to the Rio Grande, a distance of seven miles. The light com- 
panies of the first brigade, under Captain C. F. Smith, 2d ar- 
tillery, and a select detachment of light troops, the whole under 
the command of Captain McCall, 4th infantry, were thrown 
forward into the chapparal, to feel the enemy, and ascertain his 
position. About three o'clock, I received a report from the 
advance, that the enemy was in position on the road, with at 
least two pieces of artillery. The command was immediately 
put in motion, and at about four o'clock I came up with Cap- 
tain McCall, who reported the enemy in force in our front, 
occupying a ravine which intersects the road and is skirted by 
thickets of dense chapparal. Ridgely's battery and the ad- 
vance under Captain McCall were at once thrown forward on 
the road, and into the chapparal on either side, while the 5th 
infantry and one wing of the 4th were thrown into the forest 
on the left, and the 3d and the other wing of the 4th, on the 
right of the road. These corps were employed as skirmishers 
to cover the battery and engage the Mexican infantry. Cap- 
tain McCall's command became at once engaged with the 
enemy, while the light artillery, though in a very exposed posi- 
tion, did great execution. The enemy had at least eight pieces 
of artillery, and maintained an incessant fire upon our advance. 

" The action now became general, and although the enemy's 
infantry gave way before the steady fire and resistless progress 
of our own, yet his artillery was still in position to check our 
advance — several pieces occupying the pass across the ravine, 
which he had chosen for his position. Perceiving that no de- 



144 GALLANTRY OF THE FOURTH. 

cisive advantage could be gained until this artillery was silenced, 
I ordered Captain May to charge the batteries with his squadron 
of dragoons. This was gallantly and effectually executed ; 
the enemy was driven from his guns, and General La Vega, 
who remained alone at one of the batteries, was taken prisoner. 
The squadron, which suffered much in this charge, not being 
immediately supported by infantry, could not retain possession 
of the artillery taken, but it was completely silenced. In the 
mean time, the Eighth Infantry had been ordered up, and had 
become warmly engaged on the right of the road. This regi- 
ment, and a part of the Fifth, were now ordered to charge the 
batteries, which was handsomely done, and the enemy driven 
from his artillery and his position on the left of the road. 

" The light companies of the First brigade, and the Third 
and Fourth regiments of infantry, had been deployed on the 
right of the road, where, at various points, they became briskly 
engaged with the enemy. A small party under Captain Bu- 
chanan and Lieutenants Wood and Hays, Fourth Infantry, 
composed chiefly of men of that regiment, drove the enemy 
from a breastwork which he occupied, and captured a piece of 
artillery. An attempt to recover this piece was repelled by 
Captain Barbour, Third Infantry. The enemy was at last 
completely driven from his position on the right of the road, 
and retreated precipitately, leaving baggage of every descrip- 
tion. The Fourth Infantry took possession of a camp where 
the head-quarters of the Mexican general-in-chief were estab- 
lished. All his official correspondence was captured at this 
place. 

" The artillery battalion (excepting the flank companies) had 
been ordered to guard the baggage train, which was parked 
some distance in the rear. The battalion was now ordered up 
to pursue the enemy, and with the Third Infantry, Captain 
Ker's dragoons, and Captain Duncan's battery, followed him 
rapidly to the river, making a number of prisoners. Great 
numbers of the enemy were drowned in attempting to cross 
the river near the town. The corps last mentioned encamped 
near the river ; the remainder of the army on the field of battle. 



THE KILLED AND WOUNDED. 145 

" The strength of our marching force on this day, as exhi- 
bited in the annexed field report, was one hundred and seventy- 
three officers, and two thousand and forty-nine men — aggregate, 
two thousand two hundred and twenty-two. The actual 
number engaged with the enemy did not exceed one thousand 
and seven hundred. Our loss was three officers killed and 
twelve wounded ; thirty-six men killed and seventy-one wound- 
ed. Among the officers killed, I have to regret the loss of 
Lieutenant Inge, Second Dragoons, who fell at the head of 
his platoon, while gallantly charging the enemy's battery ; of 
Lieutenant Cochrane, of the Fourth, and Lieutenant Chad- 
bourne, of the Eighth Infantry, who likewise met their death 
in the thickest of the fight. The officers wounded were 
Lieutenant Colonel Payne, inspector general ; Lieutenant Dob- 
bins, Third Infantry, serving with the Light Infantry advance, 
slightly ; Lieutenant Colonel Mcintosh, Fifth Infantry, severely 
(twice) ; Captain Hooe, Fifth Infantry, severely (right arm 
since amputated) ; Lieutenant Fowler, Fifth Infantry, slightly ; 
Captain Montgomery, Eighth Infantry, slightly ; Lieutenants 
Gates and Jordan, Eighth Infantry, severely (each twice) ; 
Lieutenants Selden, Maclay, Burbank, and Morris, Eighth In- 
fantry, slightly. A statement of the killed and wounded is 
annexed herewith. 

" I have no accurate data from which to estimate the ene- 
my's force on this day. He is known to have been rein- 
forced after the action of the 8th, both by cavalry and 
infantry, and no doubt to an extent at least equal to his 
loss on that day. It is probable that six thousand men were 
opposed to us, and in a position chosen by themselves, and 
strongly defended with artillery. The enemy's loss was very 
great. Nearly two hundred of his dead were buried by us on 
the day succeeding the battle. His loss in killed, wounded, 
and missing, in the two affairs of the 8th and 9th, is, I think, 
moderately estimated at one thousand men. 

" Our victory has been decisive. A small force has over- 
come immense odds of the best troops that Mexico can furnish 
— veteran regiments perfectly equipped and appointed. Eight 
13 



146 NOTICE OF PARTICULAR OFFICERS. 

pieces of artillery, several colours and standards, a great 
number of prisoners, including fourteen oflicers, and a large 
amount of baggage and public property have fallen into our 
hands. 

" The causes of victory are doubtless to be found in the su- 
perior quality of our officers and men. I have already, in 
former reports, paid a general tribute to the admirable conduct 
of the troops on both days. It now becomes my duty — and I 
feel it to be one of great delicacy — to notice individuals. In 
so extensive a field as that of the 8th, and in the dense 
cover where most of the action of the 9th was fought, I could 
not possibly be witness to more than a small portion of the 
operations of the various corps ; and I must, therefore, depend 
upon the reports of subordinate commanders, which I respect- 
fully enclose herewith. 

" Colonel Twiggs, the second in command, was particularly 
active on both days in executing my orders, and directing the 
operations of the right wing. Lieutenant Colonel Mcintosh, 
commanding the Fifth Infantry, Lieutenant Colonel Garland, 
commanding the Third brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Belknap, 
commanding the First brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Childs, 
commanding the Artillery Battalion, Major Allen, Captains L. 
N. Morris and Montgomery, commanding respectively the 
Fourth, Third, and Eighth regiments of Infantry, were zealous 
in the performance of their duties, and gave examples to their 
commands of cool and fearless conduct. Lieutenant Colonel 
Mcintosh repulsed with his regiment a charge of lancers in the 
action of Palo Alto, and shared with it in the honours and 
dangers of the following day, being twice severely wounded. 
Lieutenant Colonel Belknap headed a charge of the Eighth In- 
fantry, which resulted in driving the enemy from his guns, and 
leaving us in possession of that part of the field. 

"Captain Duncan and Lieutenant Ridgely deserve especial 
notice for the gallant and efficient manner in which they ma- 
noeuvred and served their batteries. The impression made by 
Captain Duncan's battery upon the extreme right of the ene- 
my's line, at the affair of Palo Alto, contributed largely to the 



OFFICERS AND CORPS NOTICED. 147 

result of the day ; while the terrible fire kept up by Lieutenant 
Ridgely, in the affair of the 9th, inflicted heavy losses upon the 
enemy. The eighteen-pounder battery, which played a con- 
spicuous part in the action of the 8th, was admirably served 
by Lieutenant Churchill, Third Artillery, assisted by Lieutenant 
Wood, Topographical Engineers. The charge of cavalry on 
the 9th, was gallantly led by Captain May, and had complete 
success. 

" Captain McCall, Fourth Infantry, rendered distinguished 
service with the advanced corps under his orders. Its loss, in 
killed and wounded, will show how closely it was engaged. 
I may take this occasion to say that, in two former instances, 
Captain McCall has rendered valuable service as a partisan 
officer. In this connection, I would mention the services of 
Captain Walker, of the Texas Rangers, who was in both affairs 
with his company, and who has performed very meritorious 
service as a spy and partisan. 

" I must beg leave to refer to the reports of subordinate com- 
manders for the names of many officers, non-commissioned 
officers and privates, who were distinguished for good conduct 
on both days. Instances of individual gallantry and personal 
conflict with the enemy were not wanting in the affair of the 
9th, but cannot find place in a general report. The officers 
serving in the staffs of the different commanders, are particu- 
larly mentioned by them. , 

"I derived efficient aid on both days from all the officers ot 
my staff. Captain Bliss, assistant adjutant general, Lieutenant 
Colonel Payne, inspector general, Lieutenant Eaton, A. D. C, 
Captain Waggaman, commissary of subsistence, Lieutenant 
Scarret, engineer, and Lieutenants Blake and Meade, topo- 
graphical engineers, promptly conveyed my orders to every 
part of the field. Lieutenant Colonel Payne was wounded in 
the affair of the 9th, and I have already had occasion to report 
the melancholy death of Lieutenant Blake, by accident, in the 
interval between the two engagements. Major Craig and Lieu- 
tenant Brereton, of the ordnance department, were actively en- 
gaged in their appropriate duties, and Surgeon Craig, medica] 



148 arista's military errors. 

director, superintended in person the arduous service of the 
field hospitals. I take this occasion to mention generally the 
devotion to duty of the medical staff of the army, who have 
been untiring in their exertions both in the field and in the 
hospitals, to alleviate the sufferings of the wounded of both 
armies. Captains Crossman and Myres of the quartermaster's 
department, who had charge of the heavy supply train at both 
engagements, conducted it in a most satisfactory manner, and 
finally brought it up without the smallest loss, to its destina- 
tion. 

" I enclose an inventory of the Mexican property captured 
on the field, and also a sketch of the field of ' Resaca de la 
Palma,' and of the route from Point Isabel, made by my aid- 
de-camp, Lieutenant Eaton. One regimental colour, (Battalion 
of Tampico,) and many standards and guidons of cavalry 
were taken at the affair of the 9th. I would be pleased to 
receive your instructions as to the disposition to be made of 
these trophies — whether they shall be sent to Washington, &c." 

The victory of Resaca de la Palma was a proper sequel to 
that of Palo Alto. Well as General Taylor knew himself, 
confidently as he trusted his officers and men before a blow 
had passed on either side, and well prepared as he may have 
been, while encamped opposite Matamoros for an assault, 
there can be no doubt that his situation, before the battles of 
the 8th and 9th of May was very critical. It was the misfor- 
tune of the Mexicans to have generals, who, however skilful in 
action, were tardy in their movements, and deficient in expe- 
dients, and incapable of taking advantage of circumstances 
palpably in their favour. The American army reached the 
banks of the Rio Grande, after its march from Corpus Christi, 
on the 28th of March. No effort had been made to resist its 
original progress. The passage of the Arroyo Colorado, was 
permitted, as has been seen, without the firing of a gun. So 
the original occupation of Point Isabel — a position easily for- 
tified — was allowed, when ordinary military forecast on the 
part of the Mexican commander should have taught him, that 
fjieneral Taylor could not leave that post in his rear occupied 



SUFFERING OF THE FUGITIVES. 149 

by an enemy. But the fatal error of all, for which Arista is re- 
sponsible, is that he permitted Point Isabel, the depot of the 
American stores, to remain in the possession of a small garri- 
son for four weeks, when at any moment during that time, he 
might have thrown an overwhelming force across the Rio 
Grande and made himself master of the place. Had he done 
this, he might at least have afforded his unfortunate country 
one achievement to boast of, in a war which from first to last 
is a chapter in her history of unmitigated disaster and sorrow. 
This hypothesis does not carry with it a doubt of the ability 
of Taylor's little army to have met the enemy as efficiently at 
any moment, as on the days when it proved victorious against 
more than thrice its force. But it shows that for the Mexicans 
the only chance of even embarrassing the Americans was 
thrown away, and the latter were suffered to repel the first 
formidable opposition to their progress, with a degree of ex- 
traordinary and glorious success, which coloured their hopes, 
added vigour to their energies, and assurance to their courage. 

If the carnage among the Mexicans on the 8th excited the 
pity even of their enemies, that of the 9th must have appealed 
still more to their sympathies. The evening closed on hun- 
dreds of them, wounded, dying, and dead upon the field and 
on the road to the river. In the panic of flight, self-preserva- 
tion was the single thought of each individual. The bleeding 
and the exhausted were borne down and forsaken by the sound 
and the strong. The parties on foot were trampled by the 
cavalry ; and none of the multitude fleeing from their foes, 
found help or comfort from their friends. The thickets and 
the hollows, distant from the scene of strife, long afterwards 
told the story of many a wounded soldier, who had struggled 
on to some secluded spot, there to linger, to thirst, to hunger, 
to bleed, to faint, and to perish, alone in his long and varied 
agony. 

If General Taylor, in the stern duty of the battle, proved his 

devotion to the mission he had accepted, he equally testified, 

when its labour was done, his tender consideration for all who 

had suffered in it. The wounded on both sides received all 

13* 



150 taylor's congratulatory order. 

the care that the occasion permitted. Through the night the 
medical staff of his army were labouring to relieve them, and 
in the morning he sent to Matamoros for Mexican surgeons to 
further attend upon their countrymen. The same day was 
spent in collecting as many of the dead as could be seen on 
the battle-ground, and paying to their remains the last honours 
.of war. In the same graves were laid those who had met as 
enemies, and had fallen striving for life against life. The field 
was indeed theirs, but not as they had hoped to gain it. 

On the 11th, General Taylor returned to Point "Isabel (the 
army have proceeded to its camp opposite Matamoros), for the 
purpose of conferring with Commodore Conner. Before his 
departure the following official acknowledgment was made of 
the gallantry and good conduct of the troops. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation, 
Resaca de la Palma, May 11, 1846. 

The commanding general congratulates the army under his 
command upon the signal success which has crowned its re- 
cent operations against the enemy. The coolness and steadi- 
ness of the troops during the action of the 8th, and the bril- 
liant impetuosity with which the enemy's position and artillery 
were carried on the 9th, have displayed the best qualities of 
the American soldier. To every officer and soldier of his 
command, the general returns his thanks for the noble manner 
in which they have sustained the honour of the service and of 
the country. While the main body of the army has been thus 
actively employed, the garrison left opposite Matamoros has 
rendered no less distinguished service, by sustaining a severe 
cannonade and bombardment for many successive days. The 
army and the country, while justly rejoicing in this triumph of 
our arms, will deplore the loss of many brave officers and men 
who fell gallantly in the hour of combat. 

It being necessary for the commanding general to visit Point 
Isabel on public business, Col. Twiggs will assume command 
of the corps of the army near Matamoros, including the gar- 
rison of the field-work. He will occupy the former lines of 



ADDRESS TO THE MEXICANS. 151 

the army, making such dispositions for defence and for the 
comfort of his command as he may deem advisable. He will 
hold himself strictly on the defensive until the return of the 
commanding general. 

By order of Brig. Gen. Taylor. 

W. W. J. Bliss, Act. Adj. General. 

In contrast with this congratulation of the victorious gene- 
ral, is the subjoined manifesto to the Mexican army. It is 
elevated in spirit and superior in style to the ordinary official 
papers of the nation. There is a frank avowal of defeat and 
an honourable resolution to wipe off disgrace. 

The Commander-in-chief of the Department of Tamaulipas to the Troops 
under his command. 

Fellow-Citizens : The afternoon of the 8th of this month 
our brothers of Matamoros have fought with intrepidity and 
enthusiasm in the Tanque del Ramerino. On the 9th they 
charged again with the same ardour. But fate has not crowned 
our efforts. The enemy passed from the fort, favoured by the 
dense smoke of a wood on fire, which protected them from 
our shot. Thus have our enemies escaped ! 

Soldiers ! another time we shall conquer. Such is the fate 
of war, a defeat to-day and glory to-morrow ; that glory which 
shall be ours at the end of this holy struggle. The God of 
battles is trying our valour, but he has not abandoned us. We 
know how to conquer, and we know how to suffer. 

Soldiers ! the lamentation of the soldier for the companion 
who dies on the field of battle ought to be a shot well-aimed 
at the enemy. Those are the tears which our brothers require 
of our love. Their tomb must be raised in the American 
camp. The corpses of the Yankees ought to form their mau- 
soleums. 

Soldiers ! if we have lost some of our brothers, the glory 
will be greater, there will be fewer conquerors ; it is not the 
number which gives victory. There were but three hundred 
Spartans, and the powerful Xerxes did not cross the Ther- 
mopylae. The celebrated army of the great Napoleon perished 



152 COURAGE OF MEXICAN SOLDIERS. 

in Spain at the hands of a defenceless people, but they were* 
free and intrepid, and were fighting for their liberty. 

Fellow-soldiers ! shall we do less than they did ? We are< 
fighting for our liberty, our religion, our country, our cradles,; 
our graves. Let him who does not wish to die a traitor, hirac 
who wishes to deserve the tears of his children, let him taket 
breath and sustain his courage. He must not faint, he musfci 
not fear, but what have we to fear ? The heart tells us that inr 
it we shall find all that is requisite ; and our hearts we will, 
oppose to the enemy. 

Soldiers ! vengeance for our brothers ! glory for our children ! 
honour for our country! 

We defend those cherished feelings. Do not fear. I swear | 
to you that if the day be a labourious one, our glory will bet 
sweeter; but glory we will have, and your general and com-- 
panion will attain it with your loyalty and valour. 

Anastasio Parrode. 

Tampico, May 13th, 1846. 

Unfortunately for Mexico, her chiefs are more prone to 
" swear" what they will do, than to prove by deeds their 
"loyalty and valour." All accounts of the battles of the 8th 
and 9th of May agree in awarding to the Mexican soldiers the 
merit of courage and perseverance, and if, with these qualities, 
they were beaten by one-third their number of our troops, the 
reason is, in part at least, to be found in the incompetency and 
cowardice of their officers. That there is ground for this as- 
sertion, beyond the fact that the latter suffered little, while their 
men w r ere decimated by our arms, may be shown by the fol- 
lowing extract from Mayer's excellent work on Mexico, writ- 
ten at a time when her peaceful relations with the United States 
forbade any bias in the author's view of her institutions and 
people. In a notice of a review of troops in the capital in 
1S42, Mr. Mayer says : 

" I have seldom seen better-looking regiments in Europe 
than the Eleventh Infantry, under the command of Lombardini. 
The arms are clean and bright, and the officers of division 
appear to be well-trained, and to have imparted their training 



MEXICAN OFFICERS DEFICIENT. 153 

to the men. On the 13th of June, 1842, about eight thousand 
troops were brought together to be reviewed by General Santa 
Anna on the meadows south of the city. In line they had an 
; extremely martial bearing. * * * Excellent and daring 
riders as are all the Mexicans, they must ever have a decided 
: advantage in their cavalry, and although they do not present 
I so splendid an appearance in equipments as some other regi- 
; ments, I have no doubt they constitute the most effective arm 
| of the Mexican service. Indeed, almost all the foreigners, and 
even Texans, with whom I have spoken in regard to the quali- 
! ties of these men, concur in a high estimate of the Mexican 
'. soldier, although they do not think so well of the Mexican 
| officers. This, in all probability, arises from the irregular 
manner in which persons arrive at command, and the want of 
soldier-like education and discipline." These remarks apply 
to the commissioned officers. Of the non-commissioned offi- 
cers, who, it may be presumed, belong to the same class of 
people as the men, the author says : " The drilling of the men 
is severe and constant. The sergeant is generally a well-trained 
soldier." And again, of the men and superior officers he 
remarks: "That the Mexicans are brave none will doubt, 
who read the history of their War of Independence, although 
the bad discipline of their officers has prevented the very emi- 
nent exhibition of this quality in their foreign battles." 

Such, then, is the military character of the enemy with whom 
General Taylor was brought into conflict. To explain thus 
one cause of the defeat of their armies does not detract from 
the merit of his victories. Inequality there must have been 
either in material, discipline, generalship, arms, or position, to 
account for the triumph of two thousand men over six thousand, 
in two distinct battles on two successive days. In discipline, 
the Mexicans were not deficient. Their arms were perfect, 
their position formidable. The excellent material of their ranks 
has been shown. The want, therefore, was of officers worthy 
of the troops, and this want was doubly felt in a contest with 
an enemy whose officers were not only competent in the tech- 
nics of their duty, but thoroughly self-devoted, wholly reckless 



154 Taylor's personal courage. 

of personal danger — from the commander-in-chief to the cor- 
poral, ever in the front, where the fight was hottest, where 
death was surest. The battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma afforded many brilliant illustrations of this remark. The 
descriptions of them given above, designedly general in their 
character, do not comprehend many anecdotes of individual 
heroism, which would necessarily impair a broad and connected 
view of the management, and result of either. A few exam- 
ples,, however, in this place, may serve to confirm the opinion 
of the superiority of the American officers, as a class, compared 
with the Mexican, and to extend the record of acts which 
their countrymen must cherish with pride and gratitude. Mr. 
Thorpe's spirited narrative, "Our Army on the Rio Grande," 
furnishes some of these instances. Others are selected from 
private letters, and the newspapers of the day. 

When the Mexican Lancers were charging our right at Palo 
Alto, Lieutenant Ridgely's horse was shot from under him, 
and the same ball probably that caused the death of his steed, 
alarmed the horses at one of his caissons, which sprang madly 
forward in range of the gun. Lieutenant Ridgely, regardless 
of personal danger, rushed forward between the two contending 
fires, seized the front horses by the head, and brought them 
into their places ; thus saving not only his horses, but the am- 
munition of his battery. 

It was the Fifth regiment of Infantry which was ordered to 
meet this charge of the Lancers, and, when thrown forward for 
the purpose, General Taylor rode up, and said, " Men, I place 
myself in your square !" Could they falter, with such an evi- 
dence of their commander's valour, and of his confidence in 
t lie m ? 

Towards the close of the same action, the Mexicans, as has 
been mentioned, formed a desperate resolution to silence the 
eighteen-pounders, and Ringgold's pieces, which hurled con- 
slimt destruction into their ranks. To accomplish this, they 
poured from their batteries a hurricane of grape and cannister, 
killing and wounding many of the Fourth, and, among them, 
the gallant Captain Page. At that moment, Colonel Payne, 



LETTER OF LIEUT. RICHEY. 155 

inspector general of the army, and one of Taylor's aids, came 
and asked permission to sight one of Ringgold's guns. He 
had just done so, with effect, when he heard his name beseech- 
ingly called by one of the soldiers, and, turning round, dis- 
covered Ringgold wounded, as has been described. Amid 
the shower of balls, which still continued, Colonel Payne re- 
mained with him to sustain him, and to hear, what he then 
supposed might be, the last words of the dying man. 

At Resaca de la Palma, Lieut. John A. Richey, who in a 
subsequent service fell a sacrifice, took part in a daring adven- 
ture, which he thus described in a letter: « A short time after 
the battle began, several of us became separated in the brush, 
and started forward, with the few men we could collect at the 
moment, to take a battery of the Mexicans that was blazing 
upon us. We dashed forward into the ravine, across the stream 
which ran through it, and, clambering up the opposite bank, 
rushed across the openings of the chapparal towards the bat- 
tery. While passing through, I got separated for about ten 
minutes from Lieutenants Woods and Hays ; when I rejoined 
them, they had captured the cannon : they had dashed onward 
upon the enemy attended by only one man. The cannoneers 
immediately turned and fled. Before doing so they had set 
fire to the priming-tube, the gun being loaded. The match 
was about to ignite the powder, when Lieut. Woods knocked 
the priming off with his sword. In the mean time some Mexi- 
cans ran to the mules attached to the piece by a long pole, and 
endeavoured to drag it off. Hays, perceiving their intention, 
sprang forward and snapped his pistol at them. At the same 
moment Woods caught hold of the driving-reins. By this time 
our party was reinforced, and moved forward along the road, 
firing all the time and driving the enemy before us. We pro- 
ceeded in this way with about twenty men. Woods now 
separated from us, and we were joined by Lieuts. Angur and 
Cochrane of the 4th. Our little party was composed of men 
belonging to every regiment in the army. We advanced a 
great distance in front of the main body and were surrounded 
on all sides by the Mexicans." Capt. Barbour soon joined 



156 LETTER OF SERGEANT MILTON." 

this bold party. It was on this occasion that Lieut. Cochrane 
fell, when immediately afterwards it was charged by the lancers. 
Corporal Chisholm shot the Colonel who led the charge. As 
the officer fell, the corporal was seen to hand him his canteen 
of water — and, but a moment afterwards, Chisholm himself 
was lying dead. 

The famous charge of May's dragoons, on the 9th, has al- 
ready been described. The following account of incidents 
connected with it is by Sergeant Milton, one of his officers. 

" On the second day, at Resaca de la Palma, our troop 
stood anxiously waiting for the signal to be given, and never 
had I looked upon men upon whose countenances were more 
clearly expressed a fixed determination to win. The lips of 
some were pale with excitement, and their eyes wore that fixed' 
expression which betokens mischief; others with shut teeth 
would quietly laugh and catch a tighter grip of the rein, or 
seat themselves with care and firmness in the saddle, while 
quiet words of confidence and encouragement were passed from 
each to his neighbour. All at once Captain May rode to the 
front of his troop — every rein and sabre was tightly grasped. 
Raising himself, and pointing at the battery, he shouted, ' Men, 
follow V There was now a clattering of hoofs and a rattling 
of sabre-sheaths — the fire of the enemy's guns was partly drawn 
by Lieutenant Ridgely, and the next moment we were sweeping 
like the wind up the ravine. I was in a squad of about nine 
men, who were separated by a shower of grape from the bat- 
tery, and we were in advance, May leading. He turned his 
horse opposite the breast-work, in front of the guns, and with 
another shout 'to follow,' leaped over them. Several of the 
horses did follow, but mine, being new and not well-trained, 
refused ; two others balked, and their riders started down the 
ravine to turn the breast-work where the rest of the troop had 
entered. I made another attempt to clear the guns with my 
horse, turning him around — feeling all the time secure at 
thinking the guns discharged — I put his head towards them 
and gave him spur, but he again balked ; so, turning his head 
down the ravine, I too started to ride round the breast-work. 



MURDER OF THE WOUNDED. 157 

1 As I came down a lancer dashed at me with lance in rest. 
With my sabre I parried his thrust, only receiving a slight flesh 
wound, from its point, in the arm, which felt at the time like 
the prick of a pin. The lancer turned and fled ; at that mo- 
ment a ball passed through my horse on the left side and shat- 
tered rny right side. The shot killed the horse instantly, and 
he fell upon my left leg, fastening me by his weight to the 
earth. There I lay, right in the midst of the action, where 
carnage was riding riot, and every moment the shot, from our 
own and the Mexican guns, tearing tip the earth around me. I 
tried to raise my horse so as to extricate my leg, but I had 
already grown so weak with my wound that I was unable, and, 
from the mere attempt, I fell back exhausted. To add to my 
horror a horse, who was careering about riderless, within a few 
yards of me, received a wound, and he commenced struggling 
and rearing with pain. Two or three times he came near fall- 
ing on me, but at length, with a scream of agony and a bound, 
he fell dead — his body touching my own fallen steed. What 
I had been in momentary dread of now occurred — my wounded 
limb, which was lying across the horse, received another ball 
in the ankle. 

"I now felt disposed to give up; and, exhausted through 
pain and excitement, a film gathered over my eyes, which I 
thought was the precursor of dissolution. From this hopeless 
state I was aroused by a wounded Mexican, calling out to me, 
'Bueno Americano,' and turning my eyes towards the spot, I 
saw that he was holding a certificate and calling to me. The 
tide of action now rolled away from me, and hope again sprung 
up. The Mexican uniforms began to disappear from the chap- 
para], and squadrons of our troops passed in sight, apparently 
in pursuit. While I was thus nursing the prospect of escape, 1 
beheld, not far from me, a villainous-looking ranchero, armed 
with an American sergeant's short sword, despatching a 
wounded American soldier, whose body he robbed. The next 
he came to was a Mexican, whom he served the same way, and 
thus I looked on while he murderously slew four. I drew an 
undischarged pistol from my holsters, and, laying myself along 
14 



158 GALLANTRY OF COL. BELKNAP. 

my horse's neck, watched him, expecting to be the next victim ; 
but something frightened him from his vulture-like business, 
and he fled in another direction. I need not say that had he 
visited me I should have taken one more shot at the enemy, and 
would have died content had I succeeded in making such an 
assassin bite the dust. , Two hours after, I had the pleasure of 
shaking some of my comrades by the hand, who were picking 
up the wounded. They lifted my Mexican friend, too, and I 
am pleased to say he, as well as myself, live to fight over again 
the sanguine fray of Resaca de la Palma." 

Another writer relates this instance of personal bravery : 
" During the progress of the action, Lieutenant Lincoln, of 
the Eighth regiment, made a charge upon a body of Mexicans 
lodged in a thicket of chapparal, who were pouring a destruc- 
tive fire upon his regiment as it advanced up the road. In the 
midst of the conflict, he saw Lieutenant Jordan, (who had per- 
sonally charged the enemy,) wounded upon the ground, with 
a Mexican over him, in the act of running a bayonet through 
his body ; Lincoln sprang forward, and the Mexican faltering, 
in alarm, ran his bayonet through the arm, instead of the breast 
of Jordan. At the same instant, Lincoln cleft his scull. This 
gallant officer, with his sergeant, engaged in a conflict with 
others of the enemy, causing them to retreat, after having slain 
three of them with their own hands. Lieutenant Chadbourne, 
also of the Eighth, after distinguishing himself for his bravery, 
in one of these skirmishes fell mortally wounded, at the head 
of his command." 

When May had captured the battery, being unable with his 
handful of men to retain it, he rode back to the Eighth for 
support. Col. Belknap immediately ordered the Eighth to 
form in the road, when he led it on in person. While advanc- 
ing he was joined by a part of the Fifth Infantry under Captain 
Scott. For an instant the fire of the Mexicans checked the 
advance, when Col. Belknap sprang forward, and seizing one 
of their standards, waved on his troops, who were now, with 
the entire Fifth regiment, engaged in a hand-to-hand conflict with 
the celebrated Tampico veterans. In the charge Col. Belknap had 



\ 



ENTHUSIASM IN BATTLE. 159 

the staff of his standard shot away, and at the same instant his 
horse, coming among a pile of dead and wounded artillerists, 
made a sudden movement aside and threw his rider. The 
Eighth took up the cry that their commander was killed, and 
dealt their blows the heavier, when he again appeared at the 
head of his column. 

The indomitable bravery of Lieut. Col. Mcintosh has already 
been mentioned. During a charge, he cut his way through a 
wall of chapparal, and just as he reached the opposite side, his 
horse was shot and fell. The Mexicans rushed on him, and 
he defended himself against odds, until a bayonet passed 
through his mouth and out below his ear. He raised his sword 
to strike the assailant, when another bayonet broke his arm, 
and a third pierced his hip, and he fell literally pinned to the 
earth. Soon afterwards Duncan came hurrying forward with 
his battery, Mcintosh having been left by his enemies, and re- 
gained his feet. Duncan, not perceiving his condition, requested 
|his support. The Colonel turning presented a most ghastly 
[appearance, from his face down covered with blood. Yet he 
^answered, although speaking with difficulty, " I will give you 
the support you want ;" and added, » show me my regiment !" 
: A witness of the whole action, in concluding a descriptive 
letter says : 

" How can I describe the personal acts of bravery, not only 
In one instance but in twenty, not simply by the officer but by 
■he common soldier. The whole battle was fought by indi- 
vidual squads, led sometimes by an officer, and frequently by 
(he non-commissioned officer. I could not say too much for 
every man engaged. So eager were our men for the fight, that 
1 cannot better describe their enthusiasm than to give you the 
ijdea that struck me. It was this. Every man — officer and 
soldier — seemed impressed with the idea that there was but a 
given quantity of fighting to be had, not enough for every man 
to have his fill of it, and therefore it became every man to get 
what he could as soon as possible. 

"Instances there were where one man, charging upon their 



160 THE GARRISON IN THE FORT. 

batteries, leaped astride their pieces, and holding on with one 
hand, beat off their gunners, or were themselves cut down." 

Of devotion such as this, it is needless to multiply exaifiples. 
To conquer such men were impossible. Only their equals in 
daring and magnanimity could ever maintain with them an 
equal contest. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The 8th of May at Fort Brown — Anxiety of the Garrison — News of Pal 
Alto — Bombardment on the 9th — Mexican Fugitives seen — Recklessness 
their Panic — Disappointment and Suffering in Matamoros — The Wounded 
and Dead — Despatches from Taylor — Incidents of La Vega's Capture — Tay- 
lor's Courtesy to him — Taylor's return to the Rio Grande — Commodore Con- 
ner — Barita taken — Preparations to Bombard Matamoros — Armistice offered I 
and refused — Arista's final Retreat — Occupation of Matamoros — Despatch 
from General Taylor — Arista's report of his Retreat — Anecdote of Ampudia 
— Document found in Arista's Tent — Result of Taylor's Operations. 

It was on the Sth of May, about two hours after mid-day, 
that the garrison of Fort Brown heard, during a brief pause in' 
the bombardment, which had been braved for more than a 
hundred hours, the distant thunder of other guns. Rapid and 
constant was the echo, and it was welcomed as the harbinger of 
relief. Taylor was on his march, and Arista had met him. So 
the garrison confidently felt, when the roar of the battle on the 
plain of Palo Alto was borne faintly <o the banks of the Rio 
Grande. Still the batteries from the surrounding works of the 
Mexicans maintained their discharges upon the fort. The shells 
fell thick and fast until sunset, and, in the mean time, infantry/] 
and cavalry of the enemy were seen crossing the river, above 
and below, to reinforce Arista's army. Every heart of the 
gallant band within the entrenchment beat quickly with intense 
excitement. Their friends were few, their foes were many, and 
upon the issue of the fight was their own safety. As evening 
came on, a Mexican, bearing a white flag, was seen running 



THE GARRISON ASSURED OF RELIEF. 1G1 

towards the fort. He claimed protection, and was admitted. 
From him the story of the day was learned. The armies had 
met, and Arista was driven back. The trust of the garrison 
in Taylor's return was not in vain. He had promised, and 
through seven thousand bayonets and lances he would come. 

Through the night of the 8th the bombardment of the Fort 
was suspended, and its weary tenants enjoyed by turns their 
first repose, although their guns were not forsaken. On the 
morning of the 9th the storm of round shot and shells was re- 
newed. With occasional intervals, it continued until two 
o'clock. There was then a calm, and in that calm, the brave 
commander, Major Brown, who had lingered under his wound 
for three days, peacefully died. His sufferings were great, and 
proved his fortitude equal to his courage. While his friends 
were still gathered near his bed, distant cannon were again 
heard ; — distant, yet nearer than on the preceding day. The 
din of the battle grew by degrees yet louder and nearer. Then 
there were pauses, and again the voice of the deep artillery 
rolled from beyond the chapparal. The batteries at Matamo- 
ros now resumed their futile fire, and more rapidly than ever 
cast their balls in the midst of the American works. But they 
were unheeded. The distant fight alone engaged the thoughts 
of the besieged. Its cannon for a time wholly ceased, and then 
volleys of musketry were distinctly heard telling a closer en- 
counter. Hope and apprehension were painfully mingled, and 
expectation was tortured with uncertainty. So wore the after- 
noon away, the noise of the contest becoming by degrees 
nearer, but more irregular. Then there was a perfect calm. 
The battle was over. The field had been lost and won. The 
sun was still above the horizon, when, breaking through the 
chapparal, parties of Mexican troops were seen rushing in full 
retreat to the river. In an instant the parapets of the Fort 
were manned, and cheer after cheer told the exultation of its 
defenders, while their ammunition, long and carefully reserved, 
was used to bear more desperate confusion into the masses of 
the fugitives. Down they pressed to the water's edge, each 
one reckless except of his own safety. In an instant the boats 
14* 



1G2 CALAMITIES OF MATAMOROS. 

were crowded with a terrified multitude, too great for them to 
bear, and many were forced into the river to meet beneath its 
waves the death from which they were fleeing. 

At one of the crossings there was but a single flat. Into 
this a mass of foot-soldiers had rushed, when, before it pushed 
from the landing, a troop of cavalry, speeding on in uncon- 
trollable fear, spurred their horses aboard and drove the de- 
fenceless men into the water, where all sank down, and most 
to rise no more, except to buffet the current for a time, vainly 
grasping one another in the agonies of their final struggle. 
Friend knew not friend, nor brother, brother. For a moment 
the influence of a priest, who, in his robes with crucifix in hand, 
exhorted another band to patience, checked the pressure of the 
maddened crowd. But the next, another troop of horse swept 
down the bank, and priest and soldiers driven before them, 
perished also in the stream. 

• Night closed the pursuit, and with it the immediate fears of 
the routed Mexicans. But through all its watches, they were 
heard still hastening across the Rio Grande. The wounded, 
cruelly slung in sacks upon the backs of mules, uttered piteous 
groans and shrieks as they were borne along, and many were 
found dead, suffocated by the water, or exhaustion. Matamo- 
ros had been prepared for the celebration of a victory. Ball- 
rooms were garlanded, and lamps were trimmed, the bells 
were manned for merry peals, and music, and glad voices and 
fond eyes waited to welcome back the conquerors. ^But 
through that dismal night, Matamoros witnessed only scenes 
of pain, of anguish, of rage and shame. Bands ofbrutal soldiers 
and lawless ruffians roamed about the streets, while the panic- 
stricken inhabitants shut themselves up in their homes to await 
what fate they knew not, or gathering what precious goods 
their hands could bear, fled to the country to wander they 
knew not whither. 

The day following the battle of Resaca de la Palma was 
spent in collecting and burying the dead. In this sacred duty, 
friend and foe shared alike at the hands of the American sol- 
diers. On the 11th an exchange of prisoners was effected, 



GEN. TAYLOR AND COM. CONNER. 163 

and Capt. Thornton, Capt. Hardee, and their dragoons, who 
had been prisoners since their surprise and capture by Torre* 
jon's brigade, were again at liberty among their victorious 
friends. They had received courteous attention and kindness 
from the Mexicans during their captivity. 

While General Taylor proceeded to Point Isabel for the pur- 
pose of conferring with Commodore Conner, the army under 
Col. Twiggs took up its former position on the left bank of the 
Rio Grande. The annexed despatch of the General, in part 
explains his personal movements from the day of the last bat- 
tle to its date. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Point Isabel, Texas, May 12, 1846. 

Sir : I am making a hasty visit to this place, for the pur- 
pose of having an interview with Commodore Conner, whose 
squadron is now at anchor off the harbour, and arranging with 
him a combined movement up the river. I avail myself of the 
brief time at my command to report that the main body of the 
army is now occupying its former position opposite Matamo- 
ros. The Mexican forces are almost disorganized, and I shall 
lose no time in investing Matamoros, and opening the naviga- 
tion of the river. 

I regret to report that Major Ringgold died the morning of 
the 11th instant, of the severe wound received in the action 
of Palo Alto. With the exception of Captain Page, whose 
wound is dangerous, the other wounded officers are doing 
well. In my report of the second engagement, I accidentally 
omitted the name of Lieutenant Dobbins, 3d infantry, among 
the officers slightly wounded, and desire that the omission may 
be supplied in the despatch itself. I am under the painful 
necessity of reporting that Lieutenant Blake, Topographical 
Engineers, after rendering distinguished service in my staff 
during the affair of the 8th instant, accidentally shot himself 
with a pistol on the following day, and expired before night. 

It has been quite impossible as yet to furnish detailed re- 
ports of our engagements with, the enemy, or even accurate 



1C4 GARRISON OF FORT POLK. 

returns of the killed and wounded. Our loss is not far from 
three officers and forty men killed, and thirteen officers and 
one hundred men wounded ; . while that of the enemy has, ha 
all probability, exceeded three hundred killed ; more than two 
hundred have been buried by us on the two fields of battle. 

1 have exchanged a sufficient number of prisoners to recover 
the command of Captain Thornton. The wounded prisoners 
have been sent to Matamoros — the wounded officers on their 
parole. General Vega and a few other officers have been sent 
to New Orleans, having declined a parole, and will be reported 
to Major General Gaines. I am not conversant with the usages 
of war in such cases, and beg that such provision may be 
made for these prisoners as may be authorized by law. Our 
own prisoners have been treated with great kindness by the 
Mexican officers. 

1 am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 

In the midst of the excitement of preparing for an attack 
on Matamoros, and for the capture of the towns tributary to 
it, General Taylor did not overlook the firm and energetic 
conduct of the officers and men whom he had left at Point 
Isabel on the 7th of May. The following Order recognizes 
their merit. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Fort Polk, Texas, May 12, 1846. 

As a mark of respect to the chief magistrate of the republic,, 
the work concluded at this place to cover the main depot of 
the army will be known as " Fort Polk." 

The commanding general takes this occasion to express his* 
satisfaction with the dispositions made for the defence and pro- 
tection of this point, so vitally important to. the efficiency and 
security of the army. To Major Munroe, the commanding 
officer, Captain Saunders, of the Engineers, Majors Thomas 
and McRee, and Captains SiWey and Hill, of the quartermas- 



COURTESY TO LA VEGA. 165 

ter's department, Captain Ramsay, of the ordnance, and Lieu- 
tenant Montgomery, of the subsistence departments, credit is 
especially due for their zeal and activity. The general returns 
his thanks to the numerous citizens who volunteered their ser- 
vices in defence of the depot. Their assistance added mate- 
rially to its strength, and to his confidence in its ability to resist 
an attack. The reinforcements from the brig Lawrence, under 
Lieutenant Renshaw, and the large force of seamen and marines 
so promptly furnished by the squadron on its arrival, require a 
special acknowledgment to Commodore Conner, and Com- 
mander Mercer, of the navy. The army is deeply grateful 
for this support and co-operation, from a kindred branch of the 
public service. 

By order of Brig. Gen. Taylor. 

W. W. J. Bliss, Act. Adj. Gen. 

An act of courtesy, on the part of the troops, and of libe- 
rality, on the part of General Taylor, to General La Vega, may 
here be mentioned, in connection with the incidents of that 
officer's introduction to the general, after his capture by Cap- 
tain May. The account is furnished by a correspondent of the 
Baltimore Patriot. 

The artillery battalion was stationed on the 9th at the outset 
of the chapparal, and was then formed " in square." This 
battalion, which had suffered the day before more than any 
other, except the 8th Infantry, was placed in this position for 
these reasons : to protect the train against a charge of the ene- 
my's cavalry, to repair any disasters which might occur in the 
ordnance, and to afford fresh troops for the pursuit, when the 
battle was gained. 

Colonel Twiggs sent for Colonel Childs, who commanded 
it } and turned the prisoner over to him ; but Childs, having 
dismounted (General Vega was on foot), sent an order to his 
battalion, that the prisoner should be received with the honour 
due his rank. As soon as the prisoner issued from the chap- 
para), the words "Present Arms" were given. The square 
" presented arms" in perfect silence, and, as he approached, 



1G6 AID FROM COM. CONNER. 

not a smile of gratification, or a word of exultation, was seen 
or heard ; (so much for the delicacy of the common soldier, who 
had, perhaps, the day before, lost his nearest friend by the en- 
emy's cannon-shot.) General Vega seemed surprised at the 
salute, courteously and slowly raised his hat, and the square 
was brought to a shoulder. 

Colonel Childs then called from his position Captain Ma- 
gruder, who commanded one of the companies of the square. . 
Captain Magruder had known General Vega before, and im- 
mediately insisted upon his mounting his (Captain M.'s) horse. 
No sooner was this done, than it became necessary for the bat- 
talion to move on, and Captain Magruder was ordered by, 
Colonel Childs to escort the prisoner, i?i security, with a small 
command, to General Taylor. Fortunately no rescue was at- 
tempted, as his command was very small, and the order was 
promptly executed, when General Vega was introduced on the 
field, by Captain Magruder, to General Taylor. General 
Taylor shook him warmly by the hand, and addressed to him 
the following handsome remarks : 

" General : I do assure you, I deeply regret that this mis-- 
fortune has fallen upon you. I regret it sincerely, and I take 
great pleasure in returning you the sword which you have this - 
day worn with so much gallantry," handing him, at the same 
time, the sword which General Vega had yielded to Captain 
May. General Vega made a suitable reply in Spanish, and! 
was then taken charge of by Colonel Twiggs, at the colonel's < 
own request, and entertained by him in the most hospitable 
manner, in his own tent, until his departure for New Orleans. 

When about to embark, General Taylor handed his prisoner i 
a letter of introduction to General Gaines, and of credit on his 
own banker, which secured to him respectful consideration and ' 
comfort on his arrival in the United States. 

Having arranged his business with Commodore Conner, who 
»Jbad, with foresight and despatch, brought his squadron to the 
Support of Point Isabel, General Taylor started, on the morn- 
ing following the interview, to return to the camp opposite 
Matainoros, and there begin offensive operations. On his way 



TAYLOR BEFORE M A T A M O R O S . 1()7 

re was met by a courier, informing him that the enemy. was 
receiving reinforcements at Matamoros, and were fortifying 
points near the mouth of the river. One of these points was 
Barita, a village situated on a high bank. On hearing this re- 
port, General Taylor returned again to Point Isabel, and found 
there a small body of regulars and volunteers just arrived from 
Alabama and Louisiana, the volunteers being the first in answer 
to his call for additional troops. A command was immediately 
organised under Col. Wilson, consisting of three hundred 
regulars, and three hundred and fifty volunteers, with orders 
to proceed to Barita and take possession of it. The vessels 
of Commodore Conner co-operated in the expedition. Col. 
Wilson marched on the 15th for Brazos, and, with the aid of 
the squadron, crossed the river at its mouth, and marched upon 
the town, which he occupied without opposition on the 17th, 
being the first landing of an American force on the right of the 
Rio Grande. 

The day before this expedition left Point Isabel, General 
Taylor also set out again on his return to the camp on the river, 
where he speedily arrived, and at once commenced prepara- 
tions for an attack on Matamoros. It was his resolution to 
bombard the place if not surrendered unconditionally. 

It was not until the 17th, that the mortar batteries command- 
ing the town were ready. This delay, seemingly so little ac- 
cordant with Taylor's character for energy and despatch, was 
j not attributable to any immaturity in his plans, or any want of 
i activity. On the contrary, he had in early season endeavoured 
I to impress upon the War Department the necessity of supplying 
the usual means of prosecuting a march in an enemy's country. 
I Especially had he solicited a ponton train in his letters of the 
j previous year, and had his suggestions in that regard been 
! complied with, he might have instantly pursued the enemy, 
after the victory of the 9th, across the Rio Grande, have occu- 
j pied Matamoros, and so totally dispersed Arista's army, that 
j not another blow could have been struck in the Northern De- 
1 partments of Mexico bordering the Rio Grande. 

The 17th of May, therefore, a week after the battles, offered 



168 ARISTA EVACUATES MATAMOROS. 

I 

the first opportunity of following up their results. Orders having 
been given to Colonel Twiggs to cross the river, General Tay- 
lor was waited on by the Mexican general, Reguena, empow- 
ered by General Arista to treat for an armistice, until the two 
governments finally settled the difficulties pending. This cun- 
ning, on the part of the Mexican chief, was too apparent to 
General Taylor ; he was aware that Matamoros was filled with 
the munitions of war, and time was only wanted to move them 
off. General Taylor replied promptly to General Reguena, 
that an armistice could not be granted ; he recapitulated the 
circumstances of the preceding month, when he had himself 
proposed an armistice, which General Ampudia had declined. 
He stated that he was receiving large reinforcements — that he 
w r ould not then suspend hostilities which he had not invited 
nor provoked ; he also said that the possession of Matamoros 
was a " sine qua non," and that the American troops would 
occupy the city, at the same time giving to General Arista and 
his forces leave to withdraw from the town, leaving behind the 
public property of every description. General Taylor remarked, 
that " Generals Ampudia and Arista had promised that the war 
should be conducted agreeably to the usage of civilized na- 
tions, and yet the Mexican forces had, in the battles of the 8th 
and 9th, stripped our dead and mutilated their bodies." Ge- 
neral Reguena replied, that " the women and rancheros did it." 
" Then," said General Taylor, " I will come over to Matamo- 
ros and control such people for them." 

General Reguena, then leaving General Taylor, promised to 
deliver an answer positively at three o'clock. The hour arrived: 
but no answer. It afterwards appeared, that while the dele 
gation was treating with General Taylor, General Arista was 
busy in getting out of the city ; that even the promise to give- 
General Taylor a positive answer at three o'clock was a mere 
subterfuge. General Arista, taking advantage of the delay, 
succeeded in moving much of the military stores, securing two 
or three pieces of cannon, and with the fragment of his army, 
that very night, abandoned Matamoros and fled precipitately 
towards Monterey. At sundown, General Taylor perceiving 



MATAMOROS SURRENDERED. 169 

that no word was to be sent to him, repaired from Fort Brown 
to join the army two miles above the fort, in position for 
crossing the Rio Grande. 

Early on the morning of the 18th, the east bank was de- 
fended by two eighteen-pounders, and the three batteries of 
our artillery, and the crossing commenced, Col. Twiggs order- 
ing the bands to strike up Yankee Doodle. The light com- 
panies of battalions first went over, followed by the volunteer 
and regular infantry. 

Lieut. Hays, of the 4th infantry, and ten select men, with 
Captain Walker of the Rangers, first crossed the river, with 
orders to ascertain and report the number and position of the 
enemy, if near the river. Immediately after Lieut. Hays had 
crossed, the flank companies of the 3d, 4th, and 5th infantry, 
were thrown across, commanded by Captain Buchanan and 
Captain Larned. After these commands had crossed, Captain 
Smith, of the arti-llery battalion, crossed with two companies, 
followed by Captain Ker's squadron of dragoons. After this 
force had crossed, Ridgely's artillery was dismounted and taken 
over in parts. In the mean time the infantry already over had 
advanced, and occupied the hedge-fence covering the crossing; 
after occupying this position some two hours, a civil deputa- 
tion from Matamoros presented itself, requesting to see General 
Taylor. The deputation was sent over the river, in charge of 
an officer, to meet the general who had not then crossed. The 
object of the deputation was to inform the commanding-general 
of the American forces, that General Arista and the Mexican 
troops had abandoned Matamoros, together with his sick and 
wounded, and wishing to know from General Taylor what 
treatment the city might expect from him. General Taylor, 
finding On inquiry that this report was true, ordered that por- 
tion of the American forces that had not crossed the river, to 
return to Fort Brown and cross there. General Taylor imme- 
diately despatched a staff-officer to the prefect to demand a 
surrender, and to come to him to confer on the subject. Ge- 
neral Taylor informed the prefect that the civil and religious 
rights of the citizens would be sacredly respected. While this 
15 



170 taylor's official report. 

was going forward, the dragoons, under Captain Ker, passed 
below where they had landed, and raised the national flag upon 
the walls of Fort Paredes. 

The different regiments already on the west side of the Rio 
Grande, were marched to their respective places of encamp- 
ment, without noise or disorder, save when the flag of our 
country was unexpectedly seen waving from Fort Paredes. 
Discipline then gave way to feeling, and nine hearty cheers 
rent the air, and announced the occupation of Matamoros by 
American troops. 

That evening a small guard was established in Matamoros 
to keep the peace. No troops, except under command that 
night, visited it. The civil and religious rights of the citizens 
were guarantied, and the Matamorians slept secure under the 
protection of the American government, a boon ever denied 
to them by their own. 

But a single accident occurred to mar the proceedings of the 
day. Lieut. George Stephens, a young officer of high promise, 
was swept by the current from his horse while crossing the 
river, and was drowned. The details of the foregoing narra- 
tive are taken from a letter, addressed at the time to a southern 
newspaper. General Taylor's official account is subjoined. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
City of Matamoros, May 18, 1846. 

Sir : I have the honour to report that my very limited means 
of crossing rivers prevented a complete prosecution of the vic- 
tory of the 9th instant. A ponton train, the necessity of which 
I exhibited to the department last year, would have enabled 
the army to have crossed on the evening of the battle, take this 
city, with all the artillery and stores of the enemy, and a great 
number of prisoners. In short, to destroy entirely the Mexi- 
can army. But I was compelled to await the arrival of heavy 
mortars, with which to menace the town from the left bank, 
and also the accumulation of small boats. In the mean time, 
the enemy had somewhat recovered from the confusion of his 
light, and ought still, with three thousand men left him, to 
ive made a respectable defence. I made every preparation 



taylor's despatch continued. 171 

to cross the river above the town, while Lieut. Col. Wilson 
made a diversion on the side of Barita, and the order of march 
was given out for one o'clock yesterday, from the camp near 
Fort Brown, when I was waited upon by General Reguena, 
empowered by General Arista, commanding-in-chief the Mexi- 
can forces, to treat for an armistice until the government should 
finally settle the question. I replied to this, that an armistice 
was out of the question ; that a month since I had proposed 
one to General Ampudia, which was declined ; that circum- 
stances were now changed ; that I was receiving large reinforce- 
ments, and could not now suspend operations which I had not 
invited or provoked ; that the possession of Matamoros was a 
sine qua non; that our troops would occupy the town ; but that 
General Arista might withdraw his forces, leaving the public 
property of every description. 

An answer to the above was promised in the afternoon, but 
none came ; and I repaired at sundown to join the army, al- 
ready in position at a crossing some two miles above the town. 
Very early this morning the bank was occupied by two eighteen- 
pounders and three batteries of field artillery, and the crossing 
commenced : the light companies of all the battalions were first 
thrown over, followed by the volunteer and regular cavalry. 
No resistance was made, and I was soon informed from various 
quarters that Arista had abandoned the town, with all his troops, 
the evening before, leaving only the sick and wounded. I im- 
mediately despatched a staff-officer to the prefect to demand a 
surrender; and, in the mean time, a commission was sent by 
the prefect to confer with me on the same point. I gave as- 
surance that the civil rights of the citizens would be respected, 
and our troops at once dropped down opposite the town, and 
crossed at the "Upper Ferry," the American flag being dis- 
played at Fort Paredes, a Mexican redout near the crossing. 
The different corps now encamped in the outskirts of the city. 
To-morrow I shall make suitable arrangements for the occupa- 
tion of the town, and for taking possession of the public pro- 
perty. More than three hundred of the enemy's wounded 



172 QUARTERS AROUND MATAMOROS. 

have been left in the hospitals. Arista is in full retreat towards 
Monterey, with the fragments of his army. 

I deeply regret to report that Lieut. George Stevens, a very 
promising young officer, of the 2d dragoons, was accidentally 
drowned this morning while attempting to swim the river with 
his squadron. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 

Thus, on the 18th of May, General Taylor had firmly 
planted the American flag on the battlements of a Mexican 
city. In fulfilling his professional duty, he was scrupulous in 
every precaution against the evils almost inseparable from 
hostile invasion. The persons and property of the people 
of Matamoros and its vicinity were rigidly protected. The 
American troops were distributed in the suburbs, only a guard 
being allowed in the city. Colonel Twiggs was appointed 
" Governor," his command being stationed above the town, 
on the river bank. That of General Worth — who, after a tem- 
porary absence, had again joined the army — was posted below. 
Fort Brown was garrisoned, and the seventh regiment encamped 
beneath its walls. General Taylor camped out, establishing 
his head-quarters where a few trees aided the shade of the 
canvass. 

Arista, with the remnant of his army, still more than equal 
to his conquerors in numbers, having commenced his retreat 
from the city, while the parley with Taylor was proceeding, 
continued to hasten up the river, in the direction of Camargo. 
Upon evacuating Matamoros, he made the following rather frank 
report to his superior in command of the District. The docu- 
ment is dated from « the Rancho de la Venada, May 18. 

" Division of the North — Commander-in-Chief — All the 
means of subsistence of this division being consumed, its 
activity paralyzed, and its artillery diminished, while that of the 
enemy has been greatly increased in the number of pieces and 



ANECDOTE OF AMPUDIA. 173 

the calibre of his guns, in such a manner that, were he to open 
his fire, the city of Matamoros would be instantly destroyed, 
to the utter ruin of national and foreign interests, I have de- 
cided to retire from it, with the forces under my command, 
before being summoned, and obliged to evacuate it with 
dishonour, which I shall thus avoid : for the march is slow, 
our pieces being drawn by oxen, and our munitions in carts. 
My object now is to defend the soil of those departments 
which have been entrusted to me ; and, for that purpose, I am 
going to post myself at those points most convenient, and 
within reach of supplies, of which I will hereafter inform your 
highness, though your communications must seek me by the 
road of China, or that of Linares. The step to which I have 
referred has saved the national honour ; and I communicate it 
to your highness for your information, recommending you to 
secure the camp equipage, placing it in a convenient point, 
and preserving the sixteen pounders in that city, to which, 
moreover, I will order a reinforcement." 

The retreat of Arista commenced in good order. A news- 
paper of the day supplies an anecdote connected with the pur- 
suit which proves — if proof were wanting — how systematic was 
the deception practised upon the simple-minded Mexicans, by 
their military officers, regarding their own prowess and success 
in the field. The day following the occupation of Matamoros, 
Lieutenant Colonel Garland, with all the regular and irregular 
cavalry of the army, about two hundred and fifty dragoons and 
rangers, started in pursuit of the retreating Mexicans, with 
orders to harass their rear, and to capture prisoners and bag- 
gage. On the 22d, Colonel Garland returned from his pursuit. 
He succeeded in capturing a small rear party, after a slight 
show of resistance on their part, in which two Mexicans were 
killed, twenty-two taken prisoners, and one wagon with am- 
munition and clothing of an artillery company captured. Two 
of our own troops were slightly wounded. The scarcity of 
water, the barrenness of the country, and the condition of the 
horses, compelled Colonel Garland to return to Matamoros, 
15* 



174 arista's appeal to Americans. 

after having penetrated over sixty miles into the enemy's 
country. 

The army of the Mexicans, under General Arista, was but 
twenty-four hours ahead of our cavalry, retreating in good 
order — our officers stopping at the ranches where the enemy 
had, the night previous. A ranchero, at one of these stopping 
places, inquired with great simplicity of Captain Graham, 
where the Americans were going. He was told in pursuit of 
the retreating Mexican army. " Retreating army!" said the 
fellow with astonishment; "why, General Ampudia stopped 
at my house last night, and said that his troops had conquered 
the Americans, and that he was now on his way to Mexico to 
take the news." The man was confounded, for it was impos- 
sible for him to believe his nation had been whipped in battle, 
and still more incomprehensible, that a small number of Ameri- 
can dragoons should seriously, and for purposes of war, really 
drive before them over three thousand troops. 

To these painful and humiliating misrepresentations were the 
Mexican commanders driven, in order to secure respect and 
ordinary hospitality from their own countrymen. It affords a 
painful contrast with their boasts before they had been tested in 
the field. Among the papers found in Arista's tent on the field 
of Resaca de la Palma, was the following, addressed to Ameri- 
can soldiers, and designed to have been distributed among 
them. How little could its author have known his enemies! 
How little of the true means by which such enemies are over- 
come ! 

" Head-Quarters at Matamoros. 
April 26, 1846. 

"Soldiers! — You have enlisted in time of peace to serve 
in that army for a specific terra ; but your obligation never im- 
plied that you were bound to violate the laws of God, and 
the most sacred rights of friends ! The United States govern- 
ment, contrary to the wishes of a majority of all honest and 
honourable Americans, has ordered you to take forcible pos- 
session of the territory of a friendly neighbour, who has never 
given her consent to such occupation. In other words, while 



INDUCEMENTS TO DESERTERS. 175 

the treaty of peace and commerce between Mexico and the 
United States, presuming on her strength and prosperity, and 
on our supposed imbecility and cowardice, attempts to make 
you the blind instruments of her unholy and mad ambition, 
and force you to appear as the hateful robbers of our dear 
homes, and the unprovoked violators of our dearest feelings 
as men and patriots. Such villany and outrage, I know, is 
perfectly repugnant to the noble sentiments of any gentleman, 
and it is base and foul to rush you on to certain death, in order 
to aggrandize a few lawless individuals, in defiance of the laws 
of God and man! 

" It is to no purpose if they tell you, that the law of the an- 
nexation of Texas justifies your occupation of the Rio Bravo 
del Norte ; for by this act they rob us of a great part of Ta- 
maulipas, Coahiuli, Chihuahua, and New Mexico; and it is 
barbarous to send a handful of men on such an errand against 
a powerful and warlike nation. Besides, the most of you are 
Europeans, and we are the declared friends of a majority of 
the nations of Europe. The North Americans are ambitious, 
overbearing, and insolent as a nation, and they will only make 
use of you as vile tools to carry out their abominable plans of 
pillage and rapine. 

" I warn you in the name of justice, honour, and your own 
interests and self-respect, to abandon their desperate and un- 
holy cause, and become peaceful Mexican citizens. I guaranty 
you, in such case, a half section of land, or three hundred and 
twenty acres, to settle upon, gratis. Be wise, then, and just, 
and honourable, and take no part in murdering us who have 
no unkind feelings for you. Lands shall be given to officers, 
Serjeants, and corporals, according to rank, privates receiving 
three hundred and twenty acres, as stated. 

"If in time of action you wish to espouse our cause, throw 
away your arms and run to us, and we will embrace you as 
true friends and Christians. It is not decent nor prudent to 
say more. But should any of you render important service to 
Mexico, you shall be accordingly considered and preferred." 



176 result of taylor's successes. 

Arista continued his retreat to the interior, his unfortunate 
troops suffering privations more trying than the toil and danger 
of battle. Provisions and water were scarce, and hastening on 
in fear of their victorious pursuers, the fatigue of forced marches 
added to their calamities. Under these circumstances his army 
became completely demoralized. A great portion of it de- 
serted, returning home, or forming marauding parties, of which 
their own countrymen were the victims. It was near the end 
of May, when Arista, with his shattered columns, reached the 
hacienda of Coma, upwards of a hundred miles from Mata- 
moros. His force had been, at the outset, sufficiently strong 
to enable him to leave detachments so posted as to prevent the 
Americans from communicating with the interior. From Coma, 
where he halted for repose when no longer pursued, he re- 
sumed his march and reached Monterey. Subsequently he was 
removed from his command, and ordered to Mexico to answer 
for his misconduct, or misfortunes, before a court-martial. 

Thus, freed from the presence of an enemy, and absolute 
master of the enemy's country in the entire region where he 
had first met with opposition, General Taylor was obliged to 
await further instructions from the government, and the arrival 
of new troops and means of advance, before he could duly 
prosecute the advantages he had gained. His labours for 
nearly two months had been various and incessant, taxing to 
an extreme both mind and body. At the end of March he had 
left the northern side of the Nueces, with an army apparently 
insufficient for any successful demonstration against an enemy 
disposed to resist it. Before the end of June, he found him- 
self on the southern side of the Rio Grande, having annihilated 
all opposition to his presence. The occupation of that ground 
defines the first period of his brilliant operations in Mexico. 



WAR RECOGNIZED BY CONGRESS. 177 



CHAPTER X. 

War recognized by Congress — Men and Money voted — General Taylor em- 
barrassed — Inadequate means of advancing — Letter to the Department — 
Difficulties and Wants explained — Further correspondence — Suggestions re- 
garding his advance — Letter from the Secretary of War — Taylor recom- 
mended to advance on Monterey — His Views on the Campaign requested — 
Continued Difficulties — Further despatches — Arrival of Volunteers — Causes 
of Inactivity explained — Minor Expeditions — More Troops — Letter from Gen- 
eral Scott — News of Taylor's Victories reaches the United States — Popular 
Enthusiasm — Created Brigadier General by Brevet — President's Letter — 
Thanks voted by Louisiana Legislature — Deputation to Taylor — His Speech 
to the Committee — Made a full Major General by Congress — Correspondence 
— Taylor's Views of future Operations — Camargo taken — Despatches. 

The President of the United States announced to Congress, 
on the 11th of May, 1846, that hostilities had been actually 
commenced by Mexico. Two days afterwards, an act was 
passed by Congress, the preamble of which declared a state of 
war to exist, " by the act of the republic of Mexico," and the 
first section of which appropriated ten millions of dollars, and 
empowered the President to accept the services of fifty thousand 
volunteers, for the army. The action of Congress in thus 
voting men and money was prompt and unanimous, although 
the assertion quoted from the preamble, that the war was the 
act of Mexico, met with earnest opposition. Authorized by 
Congress, the President immediately issued a proclamation in- 
voking the nation to sustain the measures necessary to secure 
a peace. 

General Taylor, who, when the enemy yet untired in battle 
was in full force, had been embarrassed for the want of troops 
sufficient to ensure the safety of two posts, now began to find 
himself, when no enemy was near, equally embarrassed by the 
prospect of reinforcements too numerous for any operation 
which he then had in view. His call upon the governor of 
Louisiana for four regiments had met an instant and patriotic 
response — and other states, as well as this, were anxious to 
recruit for the service. The predicament menaced by this over- 



J 78 VOLUNTEERS WITHOUT SUPPLIES. 

flow of men, unaccompanied with the means of subsistence or 
transportation, is partially set forth in a despatch dated the 
20th of May, addressed to the Adjutant General, in which he 
remarks : 

« On the 26th of April, I had occasion to advise the Depart- 
ment that hostilities had actually broken out, and that, in con- 
sequence, I had found it necessary to use the authority with 
which I was vested, and call upon the governors of Louisiana 
and Texas for a force, each, of four regiments. The eight 
regiments thus called for would make a force of nearly five 
thousand men, which I deemed sufficient to meet the wants of 
the service in this quarter. At the same time that I wrote to 
the governor of Louisiana requesting this volunteer force, I ad- 
dressed a letter to General Gaines, desiring him to assist in or- 
ganizing these regiments, and having them promptly supplied. 
In my communication to the governor, the organization was 
very exactly prescribed, being that indicated from your office 
on the 25th of August, 1845. I find, however, that the orga- 
nization has been exceeded, and, moreover, that General 
Gaines has called for many more volunteers than I deemed ne- 
cessary, extending the call to other states besides Louisiana. 

It will, of course, be for the government to decide whether 
the future operations in this quarter will require the amount of 
force (entirely unknown) which is coming hither. I only de- 
sire to say, that this reinforcement, beyond the eight regiments 
mentioned above, was never asked for by me, and that in 
making the call of the 26th of April, I well knew that if the 
Mexicans fought us at all, it would be before the arrival of the 
Volunteers. It was for the purpose of clearing the river, and 
performing such further service as the government might direct, 
that I thought it proper to ask for reinforcements. It is ex- 
tremely doubtful whether the foot regiments from Texas can be 
raised, and I shall desire the Governor, who is expected here, 
to suspend the call for them. None of the mounted compa- 
nies, except Captain Price's, already in service, have reported 
to me. 

I fear that the volunteers have exhausted the supply of tents 



OPINION RESPECTING OPERATIONS. 179 

deposited in New Orleans for the use of this army. We are 
greatly in want of them ; and I must request that immediate 
measures be taken to send direct to Brazos Santiago, say one 
thousand tents, for the use of the army in the field. The tents 
of the 7th infantry were cut up to make sand-bags during the 
recent bombardment of Fort Brown." 

His position was further explained in a letter dated the 21st 
of May, in which he remarks : 

« Our future movements must depend, in a great degree, on 
the extent to which the Rio Grande is navigable for steamboats, 
and I fear that my expectations in this particular will not be 
realized. Though at times navigable as high as Camargo, or 
even Mier, it is doubtful whether a boat can now be pushed 
higher than Reynosa. Indeed, the ' Neva,' which is in the 
river, and accompanied the expedition under General Smith, 
has not yet reached this place, though hourly expected. Could 
we establish and keep up by water a depot at Camargo, opera- 
tions might be carried on in the valley of the San Juan toward 
Monterey, the first city of importance in that direction. A 
direct movement from this point to Monterey would require 
vast transportation, chiefly by pack-mules, and would, more- 
over, be hazardous in summer, on account of the scarcity of 
water, part of the route being supplied by wells only. The 
country between this and Monterey, by whatever route, cannot 
support an army. 

" I shall lose no time in ascertaining the practicability of the 
river for steamboats, and shall occupy Reynosa, and such other 
points as a boat may be able to reach." 

We find that General Taylor continued to represent to the 
Department the inadequacy of his means to transport troops 
up the river, and to take a candid exception to the number of 
them unexpectedly pressed upon him. His military character 
demands that his frequent expositions of the embarrassments 
produced by these circumstances should be set forth in his own 
language. He addressed the Department as follows on the 3d 
of June : 

" I respectfully enclose herewith a field return of the forces 



180 POLICY OF THE ENEMY. 

in and near Matamoros, both regular and volunteer. The 
corps known to have arrived at Point Isabel, of which no re- 
turns have yet been received, will carry the entire force under 
my orders to nearly eight thousand men. 

"I am necessarily detained at this point for want of suitable 
transportation to carry on offensive operations. There is not 
a steamboat at my command proper for the navigation of the 
Rio Grande ; and without water transportation, I consider it 
useless to attempt any extensive movement. Measures have 
been taken to procure boats of suitable draught and descrip- 
tion, and one or two may now be expected. In the mean 
time, I propose to push a battalion of infantry as far as Rey- 
nosa, and occupy that town. For any operations in the direc- 
tion of Monterey, it will be necessary to establish a large 
depot at Camargo, which I shall lose no time in doing as soon 
as proper transports arrive, unless I receive counter-instructions 
from the Department. 

« I trust the Department will see that I could not possibly 
have anticipated the arrival of such heavy reinforcements from 
Louisiana as are now here, and on their way hither. Without 
large means of transportation, this force will embarrass, rather 
than facilitate our operations. I cannot doubt that the Depart- 
ment has already given instructions, based upon the change in 
our position since my first call for volunteers. 

" Our last accounts of Arista represent his force to be halted 
at Coma, an extensive hacienda on the Monterey road, about 
one hundred miles from this point. He has pickets covering 
the roads leading to Matamoros, with a view to cut off all com- 
munication with the interior. The Departmental authorities 
have issued a decree denouncing as traitors all who hold inter- 
course with us, or with those who do so. I am, nevertheless, 
disposed to believe that in some quarters, at least, our presence 
is not unfavourably viewed. We have no intelligence from 
the city of Mexico. 

" Ordnance stores, and other munitions of war, are continually 
discovered in the town. Five pieces of cannon, and a very 



LETTER FROM THE WAR DEPARTMENT. 181 

large amount of balls, shells, and ammunition generally, have 
been brought to light." 

The uncertainty of Taylor's future movements, and the mode 
of prosecuting the war, generally seem to have been shared 
by the Department at home. This is shown in a letter, dated 
the 8th of June, from the Secretary of War to General Taylor, 
of which the following is part : 

" In my letter of the 28th ultimo, you were left to your own 
discretion and judgment as to the measures to be pursued be- 
fore the end of the unfavourable season shall be passed, and it 
is not now intended to control that discretion. You best know 
what amount of force you will have under your command, and 
what can be best accomplished with that force. 

" It is presumed you will hold both banks of the Rio Grande 
to a considerable distance from its mouth, and secure the un- 
interrupted use of that river for the transportation of supplies. 
I hope you will be able to take and hold in possession all places 
on it as high up as Laredo. 

" It is proper that I should advise you that a considerable 
force, which will be also under your command, will soon as- 
semble at San Antonio de Bexar. The ultimate destination of 
this force is Chihuahua, if it should be determined that such 
an expedition would have a favourable operation in the conduct 
of the war ; but it might be at once used to take and secure 
the several places on the Rio Grande. Though we have no 
despatch from you since those giving an account of the battles 
on the 8th and 9th of May, we have such information as in- 
duces the belief that you are in possession of Mataraoros, and 
that you are not now threatened with any considerable Mexi- 
can force. It is desirable that you should find yourself in suf- 
ficient strength to capture and hold Monterey with your present 
force. You are apprised that large reinforcements are preparing 
to join you. Besides the regular forces now under your com- 
mand, and which will be speedily augmented, you will soon 
have nearly twenty thousand volunteers, (including those to 
rendezvous at San Antonio de Bexar,) who are to serve for 
one year. Your determination as to immediate movements 
16 



182 REINFORCEMENTS OF VOLUNTEERS. 

will, therefore, be somewhat influenced by the consideration 
of the additional force which will soon join you. 

" The President is desirous of receiving, and hopes soon to 
be favoured with, your views and suggestions in relation to the 
fall campaign. His determination is to have the war prosecuted 
with vigour, and to embrace in the objects to be compassed in 
that campaign, such as will dispose the enemy to desire an end 
of the war. Shall the campaign be conducted with the view 
of striking at the city of Mexico, or confined, so far as regards 
the forces under your immediate command, to the northern 
provinces of Mexico ? Your views on this point will, doubt- 
less, have an important influence upon the determination of the 
Government here. Should our army penetrate far into the in- 
terior of Mexico, how are supplies to be obtained ? Can they 
be, to any considerable extent, drawn from the enemy's coun- 
try, or must they be obtained from the United States ? If the 
latter, what are the facilities and difficulties of transportation ? 
These are very important questions, and the answers to them 
will have an essential bearing in settling the plan and objects 
of the campaign ; and it is desired that you should express 
your views fully in regard to them. 

"Again: it is important to know your opinion of the de- 
scription of troops best adapted to operations in the interior of 
Mexico ; what proportion should be infantry, artillery, and 
cavalry, &c. A peace must be conquered in the shortest space 
of time practicable. Your views of the manner of doing it 
are requested. It is not doubted that you will push your ad- 
vantages to the utmost extent it can be done, with the means 
at your command." 

Before the receipt of this letter Taylor continued to have 
constant accessions to his force, increasing it to an unwieldy 
bulk for the plans which he contemplated. For this he was 
not responsible. His requisition for troops had been explicit; 
eight regiments, and no more, were called for. At the same 
time he had urged the supply of all the materials of an invad- 
ing army. But while he was flooded with men, he was kept 
comparatively inactive for the want of supplies commensurate 



TAYLOR EXPLAINS HIS INACTIVITY. 183 

with his main undertaking. His own correspondence satisfac- 
torily proves that the means at his disposal were inadequate to 
purposes which he was expected to accomplish. Two letters 
may be cited as further examples. Addressing the Adjutant 
General of the Army on the 10th of June, he said : 

" I beg leave earnestly to invite the attention of the Depart- 
ment to the following points : 

"First. The great influx of volunteers at Point Isabel. Five 
regiments certainly from Louisiana, numbering, say 3600 men ; 
two regiments or battalions from Louisville and St. Louis, 
numbering, say 1200 more ; several companies from Alabama, 
and I know not how many from Texas ; the latter now begin- 
ning to arrive. The volunteer troops, now under my orders, 
amount to nearly 6000 men. How far they may be increased 
without previous notification to me, it is impossible to tell. 

" Secondly. The entire want of the proper kind of transporta- 
tion to push my operations up the river. The boats on which 
I depended for this service were found to be nearly destroyed 
by worms, and entirely unfit for the navigation of the river. 
At my instance, Major Thomas, on the 18th of May, required 
from Lieut. Col. Hunt a boat of the proper description, and 
followed it up in a few days by a requisition for another. At 
the last dates from New Orleans no boat had been procured. 
Captain Sanders, of the engineers, was despatched by me to 
New Orleans, to assist in procuring suitable boats, but I have 
yet received no report from him. 

" As I have previously reported, my operations are completely 
paralyzed by the want of suitable steamboats to navigate the 
Rio Grande. Since the 18th of May, the army has lain in 
camp near this place continually receiving heavy reinforcements 
of men, but no facility for water transport, without which addi- 
tional numbers are but an embarrassment. 

" I desire to place myself right in this matter, and to let the 
Department see that the inactivity of the army results from no 
neglect of mine. I must express my astonishment that such 
large reinforcements have been sent forward to join the army, 



184 COMPLAINS OF EMBARRASSMENT. 

without being accompanied by the means of transportation, 
both by land and water, to render them efficient. As matters 
now stand, whatever may be the expectations of the Depart- 
ment, I cannot move from this place ; and unless Captain San- 
ders shall succeed in procuring boats of the proper kind, I can 
give no assurance in regard to future operations." 

This language is sufficiently explicit and emphatic, exhibit- 
ing General Taylor's determination not to be held responsible 
for the delays in the movements of the army. Again, on the 
17th of June, he wrote to the Adjutant General, and after re- 
marking that he had received no advices since the 10th, 
says : 

" No steamboats have been sent out from New Orleans for the 
navigation of the Rio Grande, and in the absence of all infor- 
mation on that point, or respecting the views of the govern- 
ment, I am altogether in the dark as to our future operations. 
I must think that orders have been given, by superior authority, 
to suspend the forwarding of means of transportation from New 
Orleans. I cannot otherwise account for the extraordinary 
delay shown by the Quartermaster's Department in that city. 
Even the mails, containing probably important despatches from 
the government, are not expedited. 

" Lieutenant Colonel Wilson has occupied Reynosa without 
opposition. What remains of the Mexican army is understood 
to be still at Linares, and has suffered from disease. General 
Torrejon has died, and Colonel Carasco, at last advices, was 
very ill. I learn that Generals Arista and Ampudia have gone 
to Mexico, probably for the trial of the former, or both. 

" Volunteer regiments have arrived from Louisville and St. 
Louis, making, with those from Louisiana, eight strong and 
organized battalions — mustering over 5000 men. 

" In addition, we have seven companies of Alabama volun- 
teers, and twelve or fifteen companies from Texas. Others 
from Texas are continually arriving. A portion of these volun- 
teers has been lying in camp at this place for nearly a month, 
completely paralyzed by the want of transportation. Exposed 



LETTER FROM GENERAL SCOTT. 185 

as they are in this climate to diseases of the camp, and without 
any prospect, so far as I can see, of being usefully employed, 
I must recommend that they be allowed to return to their 
homes. 

" I have despatched Captain McCulloch, a good partisan offi- 
cer, in the direction of Linares, with his company, to gain in- 
formation touching the numbers and position of the enemy, 
and the resources of the country." 

ll is proper to remark, with regard to the expression in the 
letter of the 10th of June, touching the increase of the volunteer 
force without notification to General Taylor, that notification 
had been forwarded by the Department of all the volunteers 
called out by its order. The excess was under the order of 
General Gaines. On the 12th of June, General Scott had 
written to General Taylor : 

" Recruits to fill up the ranks of the regular companies 
which are with you, or ordered to join you, to (say) about 
seventy men each, shall be sent forward as fast as practicable, 
so as to give you, we hope, in a short time, a total force of 
about 23,070 men. 

» Without waiting for the arrival of that amount of force, 
but before, and as soon as you shall deem it safe in respect to 
the relative numbers and positions of the enemy, your know- 
ledge of the country, your supplies and means of trans- 
portation, it is the wish and expectation of the President 
that, with your accustomed energy, you take up lines of 
march beyond the Rio Grande, and press your operations 
towards the heart of the enemy's country ; that is, upon 
such important points as you may deem necessary to conquer 
and to hold." 

It has been sufficiently shown, that the latitude thus allowed 
General Taylor in his operations, was a negative privilege. 
He was tied down by circumstances, which his own forecast 
had in vain attempted to obviate, to the spot from which he 
had driven the enemy. 

The splendid success of General Taylor and his army, was 
16* 



186 BRIGADIER GENERAL BY BREVET. 

learned with admiration and pride in every part of the United 
States. The fears for his safety, which, when he was supposed 
to be cut off from Point Isabel by Arista's army, were, in the 
beginning of May, wrought up to intensity, gave way to uni- 
versal rejoicing and confidence, when the victories were re- 
ported, which have made the 8th and 9th of that month for- 
ever glorious in the history of the national arms. Men of all 
parties, those who opposed the war as well as those who sus- 
tained it, united in awarding honour to the commander, who, 
undaunted by the number or position of his enemies, had 
moved irresistibly through their midst, fulfilling his plans as 
promptly and surely as though no obstacle, no danger, had 
been interposed to defeat them. In every city, meetings were 
held to express the exultation of the people at home, who 
sympathized with his triumphs in the distant scene of his trials 
and labours. 

On the 30th day. of May, the President wrote to General 
Taylor in the following terms, transmitting a commission as 
Brevet Major General. 

Washington City, May 30, 184G. 

Sir : I transmit to you herewith a commission as Major 
General by brevet in the army of the United States, conferred 
upon you for gallant conduct and distinguished services in the 
successive victories over superior Mexican forces at Palo Alto 
and Resaca de la Palma, on the 8th and 9th days of May, 
1846. 

It gave me sincere pleasure, immediately upon the receipt 
of official intelligence from the scene of your achievements, to 
confer upon you, by and with the advice and consent of the 
Senate, this testimonial of the estimate which your government 
places upon your skill and gallantry. To yourself and the 
brave officers and soldiers under your command the gratitude 
of the country is justly due. Our army have fully sustained 
their deservedly high reputation, and added another bright 
page to the history of American valour and patriotism. They 



VOTE OF LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE. 187 

have won new laurels for themselves and for their country. My 
confidence in them never faltered. The battles of Palo Alto 
and Resaca de la Palma rank among our most brilliant victo- 
ries, and will long be remembered by the American people. 
When all the details of these battles, and of the noble defence 
of the camp opposite to Matamoros, shall have been received, 
it will be my pleasure, as it will be my grateful duty, to render 
to the offices and men under your command suitable testimo- 
nials for their conduct in the brilliant victories which a super- 
intending Providence has enabled them to achieve for their 
country. 

In transmitting to you this commission, and in communica- 
ting to the officers and soldiers under your command my pro- 
found sense of their meritorious services, I but respond to the 
patriotic enthusiasm manifested by the people in behalf of their 
brave defenders. Whilst my warmest thanks are tendered to 
the survivors, the nation mourns the lossffcf the brave officers 
and soldiers who fell in defence of their country upon the field 
of victory. Their names also shall be remembered, and ap- 
propriate honours be paid to their memory by a grateful 
country. 

You will cause thfs communication to be made known to the 
army under your command. 

James K. Polk. • 

To Brevet Major Gen. Z. Taylor, 

Commanding U. S. army on the Rio Grande. 

The Legislature of Louisiana passed a resolution of thanks, 
and voted General Taylor a sword. A committee was ap- 
pointed to wait upon him and tender him the compliment. 
The committee arrived at his quarters on the 8th of June, and 
the chairman, having been introduced to the General and his 
staff, made a brief address, to which the General replied, with 
much emotion, in these terms: 

" My heart feels too deeply and sensibly the high honour 
that has been conferred on me, my officers and men, to respond 
to your expressions of gratitude and thanks. I always felt as- 
sured that the patriotic state of Louisiana would be among the 



188 taylor's speech in reply. 

first to rush to the assistance of our little army in time of need. 
I well knew, as did also my officers and men, that chivalry and 
noble daring were her attributes. Her volunteers have readily 
abandoned their homes and business to assist us in the hour of 
danger. We feel a deep debt of gratitude to them and to you. 
The generous and timely action of the Legislature of Louisiana 
will not be forgotten by us. We feel that we have only done 
our duty ; yet we cannot but feel gratified to have gained the 
approbation of our fellow-citizens. Together with the love of 
country, which is common to us all, it is that approbation 
which cheers and animates the soldier in the hour of battle. 
Gentlemen — I am unaccustomed to public speaking. I there- 
fore, in the name of my officers and men, thank you, and the 
patriotic state which you represent, for the honour conferred 
on us." 

This is but a single example of popular feeling for Taylor 
and his army. The^imits of a volume would not embrace the 
formal expressions of it, during the few days after the intelli- 
gence of his victories had spread through the country. 

Congress resolved to place Taylor at once in the highest 
rank of the service, and he was accordingly, by act of that 
body, promoted to be a full Major General. This advance- 
ment was communicated in a letter from the Secretary of War, 
of which the following are extracts. 

" War Department, 
"Washington, July 1, 1846. 

" Sir : It gives me pleasure to transmit herewith a commis- 
sion, issued to you by the President, of Major General in the 
army of the United States, pursuant to the first section of the 
act of Congress, passed 18th June last, a copy of which is also 
herewith enclosed. 

" On receiving your despatch No. 51, stating your want of 
means for transporting troops, supplies, &c, on the Rio 
Grande, I desired the quartermaster general to inform me what 
measures had been taken on that subject. I herewith send you 
his reply. I trust that the steps taken by your orders, and 
those of the quartermaster general here, will have furnished the 



ANSWER' TO SECRETARY OF WAR. 189 

means to enable you to prosecute active operations, as sug- 
gested in ray letters of the 28th of May and 8th of June. 

"I anticipated the embarrassments of which you complain, 
by the accumulation of troops before accommodations coold 
be possibly provided, and arrangements made for the employ- 
ment of them. The only relief which can be applied to the 
case, is that contained in my previous communications to you 
on the subject, and in that from the adjutant general on the 
25th of May." 

The narrative of General Taylor's operations and policy on 
the Rio Grande, in the commencement of the war, is continued 
by the insertion of the subjoined full, and very able letter, to 
the Secretary of War. The letter of the Secretary, dated the 
28th of May, to which reference is made, has been given, in 
part, on a preceding page. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Matamoros, July 2, 1846. 

Sir : In reply to the communications of the Secretary of 
War, dated May 28th, and June 8th, and to that of the gene- 
ral-in-chief, dated June 12th, I have the honour to submit the 
following views in regard to the operations against Mexico 
from this quarter. I will remark that my constant efforts to 
procure information in relation to the nature of the country, 
amount of supplies, &c, have not been as satisfactory as I 
could wish, the various accounts often differing even in im- 
portant particulars. .Either from the ignorance or interested 
motives of those who profess to give information, it is ex- 
tremely difficult to obtain any upon which we can implicitly 
rely. 

In calling upon the States of Louisiana and Texas for an 
auxiliary force of about 5000 men, it was my expectation 
with that force to be able to clear the course of the Rio Grande 
as high as Laredo, and to occupy or control the country to 
the foot of the mountains, capturing and holding Monterey, if 
circumstances permitted. With the proper river transportation 
this could have been easily done, a depot would now have 



190 SUGGESTIONS OF THE CAMPAIGN. 

been established at Camargo, and our operations pushed 
up the valley of the San Juan. The difficulties and em- 
barrassments that I have experienced for want of such trans- 
portation have already been sufficiently made known. These 
difficulties have been increased by the great excess of 
volunteers that have been sent out — say 3000 men beyond 
the original call. I nevertheless propose, upon the arrival 
of the steamers now hourly expected, to throw forward 
this force, with the regular troops to Camargo, and establish 
there a depot and base from which to operate towards the 
mountains. My reasons for retaining these six-months' vol- 
unteers in service have been set forth in another commu- 
nication ; and I desire, from motives of health and other 
considerations, to keep them employed as actively as possi- 
ble. The twelve-months' volunteers can, in the mean time, 
form camps at healthy points in my rear; and, while receiving 
instruction, await the season for more extensive operations. 
The above dispositions can be made in the rainy season 
perhaps better than at any other time, as the river is then 
in a good navigable state. For operating with a heavy force 
— say 6000 men from this point — towards Monterey and Sal- 
tillo, through which passes the only artillery route across the 
mountains, it is indispensable to employ the river as a channel 
of supply, and the valley of the San Juan, on one of the 
heads of which Monterey is situated, as a line of operations. 
The direct land route from this point to Monterey is much 
longer than the line from Camargo ; in wet weather impassable 
for artillery or heavy wagons, and in dry scantily supplied with 
water. Assuming, then, Camargo as the depot, and the val- 
ley of the San Juan as the line of operations, the question 
arises, what amount of supplies can be obtained, and how can 
a column be subsisted on this route? It is pretty well deter- 
mined that we cannot depend upon any considerable supply of 
breadstuff's short of Monterey, or perhaps Saltillo, seventy-five 
miles further south. Beef in abundance, it is believed, may 
be procured, and on this,* with perhaps occasional issues of 
mutton, we must mainly depend for the meat part of the ration. 



Taylor's letter continued. 191 

From Camargo to Saltillo, then, we must expect to depend 
upon our depot for bread ; and I am of opinion, from all I can 
learn of the resources of the country in pack mules and means 
of transportation generally, that a column exceeding six thousand 
men cannot be maintained in bread alone as far as Saltillo. 
Saltillo itself is at no great distance from two or three fertile 
grain-growing districts, but how far the production in those 
districts may exceed the supply I cannot with any certainty 
determine. 

The above calculations, in regard to subsistence, are made 
on the suppositions that we shall find the people of the country, 
if not friends, at least passive and willing to part with their 
produce to the best advantages. I believe we shall find such 
to be their temper on this side of the mountains ; whether this 
neutrality or indifference extends beyond, may well be a ques- 
tion. Should they prove hostile, destroy their crops, and drive 
away their stock, it will be an extremely difficult matter to sus- 
tain a column at Saltillo — still more so to pass beyond that city. 

Supposing a column of the above strength — say 6000 men 
— able to maintain itself at Saltillo, it will become a question, 
depending for its solution upon the elements above indicated, 
how far that force may be increased, or what amount of the 
twelve-months' volunteers may be safely and profitably thrown 
forward from the rear, with a view to future operations. 

From Camargo to the city of Mexico is a line little, if any, 
short of 1000 miles in length. The resources of the country 
are, to say the best, not superabundant ; and, over long spaces 
of the route, are known to be deficient. Although the road, 
as we advance south, approaches both seas, yet the topography 
of the country, and the consequent character of the communi- 
cations, forbids the taking up a new line of supply, either from 
Tampico or the Pacific coast. Except in the case (deemed 
improbable) of entire acquiescence, if not*upport, on the part 
of the Mexican people, I consider it impracticable to keep 
open so long a line of communication. It is, therefore, my 
opinion that our operations from this frontier should not look 
to the city of Mexico, but should be confined to cutting off the 



192 taylor's letter continued. 

northern provinces — an undertaking of comparative facility and 
assurance of success. 

With a view of cutting off the northern provinces, the pro- 
jected expedition from San Antonio to Chihuahua may be of 
great importance. From the best information, however, which 
I now possess, I would suggest mounted troops alone for that 
expedition. I am satisfied that the route from that point to 
Chihuahua is not practicable for artillery or wagons, and in- 
fantry would rather embarrass the movement of a mounted 
expedition. 

Mountain howitzers, to be packed with their carriages on 
mules, might be advantageously employed on that service, and 
indeed with the column designed to penetrate to Saltillo. There 
may be great difficulty in supplying any considerable force 
between San Antonio and Chihuahua, although the line is not 
very long, probably not exceeding 300 miles. I hope to pro- 
cure better information than any I now possess in regard to this 
route. 

It will be perceived that my remarks on the line of operations 
from the Rio Grande, southward, have been confined to the 
question of subsistence, which is certainly the most important 
one to be considered. There are military obstacles on the 
route, particularly iu the space between Monterey and Saltillo, 
where the defile of "La Rinconada" is represented to be of 
great strength. This point, and perhaps others, if fortified, may 
give us some trouble ; but if they can be turned by light troops, 
and such I believe to be the case, they will not long impede 
our march. 

In regard to the " description of troops best adapted to 
operations in the interior of Mexico," I am scarcely prepared 
at this time to give a definite reply. The facility or difficulty 
of obtaining forage must necessarily control to some extent the 
amount of cavalry employed. At the estate of the Conde de 
Jarral, some forty leagues from Saltillo, there will, I understand, 
be no difficulty in obtaining a remount when necessary, and 
forage for the cavalry. The field artillery under my orders 
(four batteries, including Washington's) will, particularly if 



Taylor's letter continued. 193 

filled up to the complement of guns, be quite sufficient for any 
operations in this quarter. We may have occasion for heavier 
guns, and I have directed two twelve-pounder field-guns to be 
procured, which, with the twenty-four-pounder howitzers now 
in depot at Point Isabel, will constitute an efficient battery. 
We shall have two, perhaps three regiments of horse from 
Texas under my original call. They are now organizing under 
the Governor's directions at Point Isabel. These are six 
months' men. Should I find it necessary to increase the 
cavalry force, I can draw certainly one regiment from San An- 
tonio, and still leave quite enough for the expedition to Chi- 
huahua. 

I have given my views on most of the points connected with 
the operations from this frontier, purposely abstaining from 
any reference to movements against Tampico or Vera Cruz. 
The former place, I am induced to believe, could have been 
easily taken a month since, and could be so even now ; but 
the yellow fever would not have permitted us to hold it, and I 
deemed it best to undertake no movement in that direction at 
this season of the year. Should we advance as far as San Luis 
Potosi, which has a communication (though not for wheels) 
with Tampico, the possession of the latter place would be im- 
portant. 

I am awaiting with utmost impatience the arrival of steam- 
boats suited to the navigation of this river, to establish a depot 
atCamargo, and throw the troops gradually forward to that 
point. The rainy season has commenced, and the river is 
now in the best possible condition for navigation. Several 
small boats were to leave New Orleans about the 20th of June. 
If not wrecked in the recent severe gales, they may be hourly 
expected here. 

I have the honour to be, respectfully, general, your obedient 
servant, 

Z. Taylor, 

Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 

17 



194 CAPTURE OF SMALL TOWNS. 

While General Taylor awaited at Matamoros the arrival of 
boats, necessary for the advance of the main body of his army, 
he had sent detachments to take possession of the accessible 
towns on the Rio Grande. Early in June, Lieutenant Colonel 
Wilson had taken peaceable possession of Reynosa. On the 
14th of July, two companies of the Seventh Infantry, under 
Captain Miles, took possession of Camargo without opposition. 
Mier and Revilla were also successively occupied by other de- 
tachments. In a despatch mentioning these operations, dated 
the 22d, General Taylor adds : 

« Captain Miles, the day after he had taken possession of 
Camargo, was joined by the remainder of the regiment, two 
pieces of artillery, and a company of irregular cavalry. He 
has since been reinforced by the 5th infantry ; and the 1st 
brigade of infantry, under General Worth, is now en route to 
Camargo, except a guard of two companies, left to escort the 
train by land — the main body proceeding by water. The 3d 
brigade will immediately follow, and in a few days all the ac- 
tive regular force will be at Camargo, or in motion thither. I 
am unavoidably compelled, much to my regret, to leave several 
companies of the artillery regiments to guard the different 
depots in my rear. 

"We have now several steamboats in the river, and the 
business of sending up troops and supplies is urged as much 
as possible. I find the difficulty of throwing supplies up the 
river to be very great, in consequence of the rapidity of the 
current and the entire absence of dry steamboat fuel. But 
every effort will be employed to overcome these difficulties, 
and I have no doubt that we shall be able to keep up a depot 
at Camargo, quite sufficient for any operations from that point. 

" As yet the land route to Camargo is impassable for wagons, 
owing to the recent rains and freshets. As soon as it shall 
become practicable, the field artillery and train of the army 
will move forward to Camargo. 

" As soon as I can complete the necessary arrangements for 
throwing forward the volunteer troops to Camargo, I propose 



CONDITION OF MEXICO. 195 

to establish my head-quarters at that point, and organize, with- 
out delay, a marching column to move on Monterey." 

Before proceeding in the narrative of General Taylor's opera- 
tions, a glance at the civil condition of Mexico, and at the 
purposes and measures of the United States government in the 
prosecution of the war, will aid an understanding of the cir- 
cumstances affecting his progress. His own views of the mode 
of bringing the war to a successful issue, have already been 
partially developed in his correspondence. Other letters remain 
to be cited which will further illustrate his opinions on the 
general subject. These several matters will be embraced in 
the following chapter. 



CHAPTER XL 

Civil Dissensions of the Mexicans — Tyranny of Paredes — Popular Defections 
— Conspirators apprehended — Liberty of the Press abolished — Unwise Policy 
of Paredes — News of Arista's Defeat received — Sensation in the Capital — 
Money refused by the Clergy — Decline of Paredes' authority — Movement in 
favour of Santa Anna — Civil War in Mexico — Blockade by the United States 
of Mexican Ports — Plans of the United States Government — Plans of Ge- 
neral Taylor — Proclamation to the People of Mexico — Confidential Letter to 
Taylor — Taylor's Answer — Santa Anna proclaimed in Vera Cruz — Excite- 
ment in the Capital — Fall of Paredes — Santa Anna's return to Mexico — Go- 
vernment of de Salas — Santa Anna's triumphal entry into the Capital — His 
pledges 'to the Mexicans — Taylor's Arrangements complete for his Advance 
— His Difficulties explained — Enumeration of his Force — March of Worth's 
Division — Of Butler's and Twiggs' Divisions — Report of Forces against 
Monterey — Sufferings and Death of Volunteers — March of Worth's Division 
towards Monterey. 

At the moment that the government and people of Mexico, 
regarding the annexation of Texas to the United States as an 
aggressive act, should have smothered civil dissension, and 
united firmly in the single purpose of settling amicably their 
disputes with so powerful a neighbour, or of carrying on war 
with all their energies, that unfortunate country presented its 
wonted scenes of mal-administration on the one hand, and re- 
bellion on the other. Within the same week that Texas had 
been admitted into the Union by act of Congress, a revolution, 



196 TYRANNY OF PAREDES. 

the joint project of the army and the church, had placed Pa- 
redes in the executive chair of Mexico. Adverse, as we have 
seen, to the conciliatory policy of Herrera, whom he had su- 
perseded, the new President signalized his accession to power 
by refusing to receive an American diplomatic agent, and by 
declaring war to exist between the two nations, as soon as 
General Taylor had crossed the Nueces. This course, regard- 
ing a foreign government, imposing on Paredes the manifest 
duty of winning the affections and support of all parties, was, 
on the contrary, attended by measures odious to a large por- 
tion of his countrymen, and incompatible with their hearty 
support of his administration. The letter, as well as the spirit, 
of the constitutions acknowledged by his predecessors was 
changed ; and even the affectation of regard for popular rights, 
which had been maintained by some of them, was by him dis- 
carded, and he assumed an authority nearly allied to absolut- 
ism. By an executive decree, the elective franchise was taken 
from the mass of the people and confided to a small and 
privileged class. Yucatan, wearied with the oppressions of 
former administrations, had already refused her aid in placing 
Vera Cruz in a condition of defence ; and the intelligent and 
independent citizens of that city, in turn resisted the decree, 
which abrogated their free choice of representatives to the na- 
tional congress. Organized discontent appeared also in other 
departments, and the means of an expedition, destined to de- 
fend the Californias against the United States, were appropri- 
ated by a revolted garrison to a scheme of overthrowing the 
home government. Other military bodies imitated this example, 
and factious or ambitious chiefs fomented popular ill-will, until 
their party became extended and formidable. The discovery 
of a correspondence among them, implicated many citizens of 
the capital, who were accordingly seized and imprisoned. On 
the day that these things passed in the interior and the city of 
Mexico, Taylor hoisted the American flag on Fort Paredes. 

Instead of assuaging the ill-will, manifestly so general, the 
next step of Paredes was to trample on the press. The editors 
of the journals which exposed his tyrannous acts were arrested, 



REVOLUTION IN PROGRESS. 197 

and with summary disregard of law, banished or confined in 
,the common jails. This new measure of despotism had just 
been effected, when the intelligence of Arista's defeats, and the 
surrender of Matamoros, reached the capital. Paredes was 
mortified, the citizens enraged. " Death to the Americans !" 
echoed from street to street, and from city to city. But with 
this sentiment in their hearts, civil discord still occupied the 
time of factions daily growing more powerful. The dictator, 
who felt the responsibility of having declared war with the 
United States, found himself not only embarrassed by the- de- 
fection of whole provinces, but unable to prosecute his foreign 
policy for want of revenue. While his energies were in one 
direction devoted to quelling the insurgents, his ingenuity was 
taxed in another to supply an empty treasury. He resolved 
on an appeal to the clergy, who had been instrumental in 
placing him in power, and who had sanctioned his war mea- 
sures on the ground that the United States aimed at the subver- 
sion of the national religion. This appeal was duly considered, 
and the ecclesiastical council arrived at the conclusion, that the 
church fund could not be diverted from its special uses. 

The authority attained by Paredes in January, he saw rapidly 
departing from him in June. Already the revolutionary party 
had acquired sufficient strength to overthrow a local govern- 
ment, to issue a formal protest against the central power, and 
to declare the basis of a new order of things. A provisional 
government asserted its existence, and Santa Anna, then an 
exile in Cuba, was presented as the patriotic head of it. The 
congress of Paredes assembled, and his opening address to 
that body set forth the evils under which the country suffered 
— civil contention, a foreign war, an exhausted treasury. There 
was deliberation, but no action equal to the emergency. The 
troops of Paredes, and of the revolutionists, were in the field 
against each other, fighting for the supremacy, while two com- 
panies of United States Infantry marched into Camargo, with- 
out an arm to oppose them. Paredes enjoyed a temporary 
success, but his power daily melted away before the ardent 
opposition of Santa Anna's partisans. They were firmly estab 
17* 



193 PLANS OF INVASION. * 

lushed in the southern and western provinces. Paredes still 
held the capital. Such was the relative position of Mexican 
parties in the beginning of July, 1846. 

On the same day that General Taylor took possession of 
Matamoros, an American squadron anchored off Vera Cruz, and 
the blockade of that, and other ports of Mexico on the Gulf, 
commenced. The blockade of the Pacific coast was also or- 
dered. The operations on land, contemplated by the govern- 
ment of the United States, embraced three distinct invasions 
of Mexico. The progress of the main army under Taylor will 
be presently shown. The second division, commanded by 
General Wool, was directed against Chihuahua ; and the third, 
under Col. Kearney, against Santa Fe, in New Mexico. Be- 
tween the two latter divisions and General Taylor, there was 
no concert, and their movements, therefore, do not enter into 
this narrative. 

During the month of July, General Taylor continued to 
discipline his new troops, and to make preparations for the ad- 
vance of his main body up the Rio Grande, and ultimately in 
the direction of San Luis Potosi — distant about three hundred 
miles from Matamoros — by w r ay of Saltillo and Monterey. 
Camargo, already occupied by a division under General Worth, 
was destined to be his head-quarters, from which the column 
marching on Monterey would be organized. General Taylor 
had meanwhile received from his government the annexed 
form of a proclamation to the Mexican people, designed to 
facilitate his advance, and to accomplish the objects of the 
war. 

A Proclamation by the General commanding the Army of the United 
States of America. 

To the People of Mexico : — 

After many years of patient endurance, the United States are 
at length constrained to acknowledge that a war now exists 
between our government and the government of Mexico. For 
many years our citizens have been subjected to repeated 
insults and injuries, our vessels and cargoes have been seized 



PROCLAMATION TO MEXICANS. 199 

and confiscated, our merchants have been plundered, maimed, 
imprisoned, without cause and without reparation. At length 
your government acknowledged the justice of our claims, and 
agreed by treaty to make satisfaction by payment of several 
millions of dollars ; but this treaty has been violated by your 
rulers, and the stipulated payments have been withheld. Our 
late effort to terminate all difficulties by peaceful negotiation 
has been rejected by the dictator Paredes, and our minister of 
peace, whom your rulers had agreed to receive, has been re- 
fused a hearing. He has been treated with indignity and 
insult, and Paredes has announced that war exists between us. 
This war, thus first proclaimed by him, has been acknowledged 
as an existing fact by our President and Congress with perfect 
unanimity, and will be prosecuted with vigour and energy 
against your army and rulers ; but those of the Mexican people 
who remain neutral will not be molested. 

Your government is in the hands of tyrants and usurpers. 
They have abolished your state governments, they have over- 
thrown your federal constitution, they have deprived you of 
the right of suffrage, destroyed the liberty of the press, despoiled 
you of your arms, and reduced you to a state of absolute de- 
pendence upon the power of a military dictator. Your army 
and rulers extort from the people by grievous taxation, by forced 
loans, and military seizures, the very money which sustains the ' 
usurpers in power. Being disarmed, you were left defenceless, 
an easy prey to the savage Camanches, who not only destroy 
your lives and property, but drive into a captivity more horrible 
than death itself, your wives and children. It is your military 
rulers who have reduced you to this deplorable condition. It 
is these tyrants, and their corrupt and cruel satellites, gorged 
with the people's treasure, by whom you are thus oppressed 
and impoverished, some of whom have boldly advocated a 
monarchical government, and would place a European prince 
upon the throne of Mexico. We come to obtain reparation for 
repeated wrongs and injuries ; we come to obtain indemnity 
for the past, and security for the future ; we come to overthrow 
the tyrants who have destroyed your liberties ; but we come 



200 PROCLAMATION CONTINUED. 

to make no war upon the people of Mexico; nor upon any form 
of free government they may choose to select for themselves. 
It is our wish to see you liberated from despots, to drive back 
the savage Camanches, to prevent the renewal of their assaults, 
and to compel them to restore to you from captivity your long- 
lost wives and children. Your religion, your altars, and 
churches, the property of your churches and citizens, the 
emblems of your faith, and its ministers, shall be protected, 
and remain inviolate. Hundreds of our army, and hundreds 
of thousands of our people, are members of the Catholic church. 
In every state, and in nearly every city and village of our 
Union, Catholic churches exist, and the priests perform their 
holy functions in peace and security under the sacred guarantee 
of our Constitution. We come among the people of Mexico 
as friends and republican brethren, and all who receive us as 
such shall be protected, whilst all who are seduced into the 
army of your dictator shall be treated as enemies. We shall 
want from you nothing but food for our army, and for this you 
shall always be paid in cash the full value. It is the settled 
policy of your tyrants to deceive you in regard to the policy 
and character of our government and people. These tyrants 
fear the example of our free institutions, and constantly en- 
deavour to misrepresent our purposes, and inspire you with 
hatred for your republican brethren of the American Union. — 
Give us but the opportunity to undeceive you, and you will 
soon learn that all the representations of Paredes were false, 
and were only made to induce you to consent to the establish- 
ment of a despotic government. 

In your struggle for liberty with the Spanish monarchy, 
thousands of our countrymen risked their lives and shed their 
blood in your defence. Our own commodore, the gallant 
Porter, maintained in triumph your flag upon the ocean, and 
our government was the first to acknowledge your indepen- 
dence. With pride and pleasure we enrolled your name on 
the list of independent republics, and sincerely desired that 
you might, in peace and prosperity, enjoy all the blessings of 
free government. Success on the part of your tyrants against 



LETTER FROM WAR DEPARTMENT. 201 

the army of the Union is impossible ; but, if they could suc- 
ceed, it would only be to enable them to fill your towns with 
soldiers, eating out your substance, and harassing you with 
still more grievous taxation. Already they have abolished the 
liberty of the press, as the first step towards the introduction 
of that monarchy, which it is their real purpose to proclaim 
and establish. 

Mexicans! we must treat as enemies, and overthrow the 
tyrants, who, whilst they have wronged and insulted us, have 
derived you of your liberty ; but the Mexican people who 
remain neutral during the contest, shall be protected against 
their military despots by the republican army of the Union." 

The War Department, advised by the President, followed 
this document with the subjoined confidential letter, which, 
with General Taylor's answer, forms an interesting link in the 
chain, both of his instructions and views touching the conduct 
of the war generally, and of that branch of operations with 
which he had been entrusted. 

Secretary of War to General Taylor. 

War Department, 
Washington, July 9, 1840. 

Sir : — The proclamation which you were directed to spread 
among the Mexican people will have put you in possession of 
the views of the government in relation to the mode of carrying 
on the war, and also in relation to the manner of treating the 
inhabitants. The war is only carried on to obtain justice ; and 
the sooner that can be obtained, and with the least expenditure 
of blood and money, the better. One of the evils of war is 
the interruption of diplomatic communications between the 
respective authorities, and the consequent ignorance under 
which each party may lie in relation to the views of the other. 
The natural substitute of these interrupted diplomatic commu- 
nications is the military intercourse which the usages of war 
allow between contending armies in the field, and in which 
commanding generals can do much towards reopening nego- 
tiations, and smoothing the way to a return of peace. 



202 Taylor's policy approved. 

The ^President has seen with much approbation the civility 
and kindness with which you have treated your prisoners, and 
nil the inhabitants with whom you have come in contact. He 
wishes that course of conduct continued, and all opportuni- 
ties taken to conciliate the inhabitants, and let them see that 
peace is within their reach the moment their rulers will consent 
to do us justice. The inhabitants should be encouraged to 
remain in their towns and villages, and these sentiments be 
carefully made known to them. The same things may be said 
to officers made prisoners, or who may visit your head-quarfers 
according to the usages of war ; and it is the wish of the Pre- 
sident that such visits be encouraged, and also that you take 
occasions to send officers to the head-quarters of the enemy for 
the military purposes, real or ostensible, which are of ordinary 
occurrence between armies, and in which opportunity may be 
taken to speak of the war itself as only carried on to obtain 
justice, and that we had much rather procure that by negotia- 
tion than by fighting. Of course, authority to speak for your 
government will be disavowed, but a knowledge of its wishes 
will be averred, and a readiness will be expressed to commu- 
nicate to your government the wishes of the Mexican govern- 
ment to negotiate for honourable peace, whenever such shall 
be their wish, and with the assurance that such overtures will 
be met in a corresponding spirit by your government. A dis- 
creet officer, who understands Spanish, and who can be em- 
ployed in the intercourse so usual between armies, can be your- 
confidential agent on such occasions, and can mask his real, 
under his ostensible, object of a military interview. 

You will also readily comprehend that, in a country so di- 
vided into races, classes, and parties, as" Mexico is, and with 
so many local divisions among departments, and personal 
divisions among individuals, there must be great room for 
operating on the minds and feelings of large portions of the 
inhabitants, and inducing them to wish success to an invasion 
which has no desire to injure their country, and which, in over- 
throwing their oppressors; may benefit themselves. Between 
the Spaniards, who monopolize the wealth and power of the 



SUGGESTIONS RESPECTING INVASION. 203 

country, and the mixed Indian race who bear its burdens,-* 
there must be jealousy and animosity. The same feeJings 
must exist between the lower and the higher orders of the 
clergy, the latter of whom have the dignities and the revenues, 
while the former have poverty and labour. In fact, the curates 
were the chief authors of the revolution which separated Mexico 
from Spain, and their relative condition to their superiors is not 
much benefited by it. 

If, from all the information which you may communicate to 
the Department, as well as that derived from other sources, it 
should appear that the difficulties and obstacles to the con- 
ducting of a campaign from the Rio Grande, the present base 
of your operations, for any considerable distance into the 
interior of Mexico, will be very great, the Department will 
consider whether the main invasion should not ultimately take 
place from some other point on the coast — say Tampico — or 
some other point in the vicinity of Vera Cruz. This sugges- 
tion is made with a view to call your attention to it, and to 
obtain from you such information as you may be able to im- 
part. Should it be determined that the main army should in- 
vade Mexico at some other point than the Rio Grande — say 
the vicinity of Vera Cruz — a large and sufficient number of 
transport vessels could be placed at the mouth of the Rio 
Grande by the time the healthy season sets in — say early in 
November. The main army, with all its munitions, could be 
transported, leaving a sufficient force behind to hold and oc- 
cupy the Rio Grande and all the towns and provinces which 
you may have conquered before that time. In the event of 
such being the plan of operations, your opinion is desired: 
what increased force, if any, will be required to carry it out 
with success ? We learn that the army could be disembarked 
a few miles distant from Vera Cruz, and readily invest the 
town in its rear, without coming within the range of the guns 
of the fortress of San Juan d'Uloa. The town could be 
readily taken by land, while the fortress, being invested by 
land and sea, and all communication cut off, must soon fall. 



204 HIS OPINIONS REQUIRED. 

The distance from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico is not 
more than one-third of that from the Rio Grande to the city 
of Mexico. Upon these important points, in addition to those 
mentioned in my letter of the 8th of June, your opinions and 
views are desired at the earliest period your duties will permit 
you to give them. In the mean time, the Department confi- 
dently relies on you to press forward your operations vigo- 
rously to the extent of your means, so as to occupy the im- 
portant points within your reach on the Rio Grande and in the 
interior. It is presumed that Monterey, Chihuahua, and other 
places in your direction will be taken and held. If in your 
power to give the information, the Department desires to be 
informed of the distance from Chihuahua to Guyamas on the 
Gulf of California. Whether there be a road over which 
ordnance and baggage wagons could be taken, and whether it 
be practicable for an army to march from the former to the 
latter place, and what time would probably be required for 
mounted men, and what time for infantry or artillery to do so ? 
This information is desired before the department can be pre- 
pared to decide upon the propriety of sending forward such 
an expedition. 

Your answer to this communication you will please to ad- 
dress directly to the President of the United States. 

I have the honour to be, very respectfully, your obedient 
servant. 

W. L. Marcy. 

Major-General Z. Taylor, Commanding, &c. 



General Taylor's Answer. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Matamoros, August 1, 1846. 

Sir : I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the 
confidential communication of the Secretary of War, dated 
July 9th, and to present the following remarks in relation to 
the several points embraced in it. Agreeably to the injunction 
of the Secretary, this communication is addressed directly to 
the President of the United States. 



LETTER FROM GENERAL TAYLOR. 205 

First. As to the intercourse with the enemy, and means of 
obtaining information with regard to his movements, &c, I fear 
that no very satisfactory results will be obtained in the way 
proposed. The Mexican generals and other officers have ex- 
hibited, since the commencement of hostilities, a determination 
to hold with us as little intercourse as possible. A most rigid 
non-intercourse has been held throughout ; and, since the 17th 
of June, no communication whatever has passed between the 
head-quarters of the two armies. I shall not fail to improve 
such occasions when they present themselves, in the manner 
pointed out by the Secretary. Since crossing the Rio Grande, 
it has been my constant aim to conciliate the people of the 
country, and I have the satisfaction of believing that much has 
been done towards that object, not only here, but at Reynosa, 
Camargo, and other towns higher up the river. The only ob- 
stacle I encounter in carrying out this desirable policy arises 
from the employment of volunteer troops. Some excesses 
have been committed by them upon the people and their pro- 
perty, "and more, I fear, are to be apprehended. With every 
exertion, it is impossible effectually to control these troops, 
unaccustomed as they are to the discipline of camps, and losing, 
in bodies, the restraining sense of individual responsibility. 
With increased length of service, these evils, it is hoped, will 
diminish. 

Second. In regard to availing ourselves of internal divi- 
sions and discord among the Mexicans, it is hardly time yet to 
say how far this may be relied upon as an element of success. 
I have good reason to believe that the country lying between 
the Rio Grande and Sierra Madre is disposed to throw off the 
yoke of the central government, and will perhaps do so as 
soon as it finds a strong American force between it and the 
capital. I shall do all in my power to encourage this move- 
ment, of which I received indications from many quarters, and 
shall comply fully with the instructions of the Secretary on that 
point. 

Third. As to the military operations best calculated to secure 
an early and honourable peace, my report of July 2d will have 
18 



206 THE CONDUCT OP THE WAR. 

put the Department in possession of my views touching opera- 
tions in this quarter, and I have now little to add to that report. 
Whether a large force can be subsisted beyond Monterey, 
must be determined by actual experiment, and will depend 
much upon the disposition of the inhabitants towards us. If 
a column (say 10,000 men) can be sustained in provisions at 
Saltillo, it may advance thence upon San Louis Potosi ; and, I 
doubt not, would speedily bring proposals for peace. If, on 
the other hand, a column cannot be sustained beyond Monterey, 
it will be for the Government to determine, from considerations 
of state, whether a simple occupation of the* frontier depart- 
ments, (including Chihuahua and New Mexico,) or in addition 
to such occupation an expedition against the capital [by way 
of Vera Cruz] be most expedient. I cannot give a positive 
opinion as to the practicability of an expedition against Vera 
Cruz, or the amount of force that would probably be required 
for it. The Department of War must be much better informed 
than I am on that point. From the impracticable character of 
the routes from Tampico, particularly that leading to Mexico, 
I should judge an expedition against the capital from that point 
to be out of the question. The simultaneous embarkation of 
a large body of troops at Brazos Santiago, as proposed in the 
Secretary's communication, would be attended with great dif- 
ficulty, if we may judge from the delay and danger which 
accompany the unloading of single transports, owing to the 
almost perpetual roughness of the bar, and boisterous character 
of the anchorage. It may also well be questioned whether a 
force of volunteers, without much instruction, more than those 
now here can receive in season for such an expedition, can 
prudently be allowed to form the bulk of an army destined for 
so delicate an operation as a descent upon a foreign coast, 
where it can have no proper base of operations or supplies. 

I have already had occasion to represent to the Department 
that the volunteer force ordered to report to me here is much 
greater than I can possibly employ, at any rate in the first in- 
stance ; the influx of twelve-months' volunteers has even im- 
peded my forward movement, by engrossing all the resources 



DISSENSIONS IN MEXICO. 207 

of the Quartermaster's Department to land them and transport 
them to healthy positions. This circumstance, in connection 

with the possibility of an expedition against , leads me 

to regfret that one division of the volunteers had not been en- 
camped — say at Pass Christian — where it could have been in- 
structed until its services were required in the field. 

These embarrassments, however, are now mostly overcome ; 
the regular force is nearly all at Camargo ; and all the arrange- 
ments are made to throw forward the volunteers to the same 
point. The President may be assured that no one laments 
more than I do the inevitable difficulties and delays that have 
attended our operations here, and that no exertion of mine has 
been or will be wanting to press forward the campaign with all 
possible vigour. But I deem it indispensable to take such 
amount of force, and observe such precautions, as not to leave 
success a matter of doubt. 

In answer to the inquiry relative to the route from Chihuahua 
to Guaymas, I have the honour to submit a memorandum de- 
rived from , an American gentleman residing in this 

place, who has lived in Chihuahua, and travelled over the 
routes. The distances on the mule route are probably over- 
rated, as it is a direct route across the mountains. The wagon 
road, by the city of Arispe, is the only one practicable foi 
artillery. 

I have the honour to be, very respectfully, sir, your obedient 
servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Maj. Gen. U. S. Army, commanding. 

To his Excellency the Hon. James K. Polk, 

President of the United States, Washington. 

The clearness and comprehensiveness of the views set forth 
in this letter, show General Taylor's judgment in council to be 
equal to his*" energy in the field. While with his pen, as well 
as his sword, he was thus preparing the way for the prostration 
of Mexico, the internal dissensions of that country had reached 
their second climax in the year 1846. . Paredes, who had sus- 
tained his sinking cause until the end of July, was at last over- 



208 FALL OF PAREDES. 

whelmed by the revolutionary torrent. The city of Vera Cruz 
pronounced in favour of Santa Anna on the 31st of that month. 
Three days afterwards, intelligence of the event reached the 
capital, which was immediately in the ferment of a kindred 
movement. General de Salas, and other military aspirants, 
issued a proclamation from the citadel of Mexico, of which 
they had taken possession, declaring the electoral laws of 1824 
to be in force, denouncing all opposition to their purposes as 
traitorous, and inviting the return of political exiles, especially 
of " his excellency, Don Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the 
well-deserving of his country, acknowledging him as general- 
in-chief of all the forces pledged and determined to fight, in 
order that the nation may recover its rights, secure its liberty, 
and govern itself." Paredes made a bold but futile resistance 
to de Salas and his compeers, and then, with a handful of men, 
fled from the capital. Soon afterwards, he was a prisoner in 
the castle of Perote. 

Santa Anna, thus recalled, sailed from Cuba, with his per- 
sonal followers, and arrived at Vera Cruz on the 16th of 
August, passing through the United States' blockading squad- 
ron, by the express permission of the President. This may 
not be the place to examine the policy of such an order. It is 
sufficient to state the fact. Santa Anna was received with en- 
thusiasm by the citizens of Vera Cruz, which was shared by the 
Mexicans generally, and enabled him to combine opposing 
factions, and prepare the way for a concentrated and powerful 
resistance to the United States, to which none of his rivals was 
equal. It may be conceded that patriotism dictated the move- 
ment in his favour, if the immediate effects of his presence be 
accepted as evidence. The provisional government of de 
Salas had declared the constitution of 1824 to be in force, and 
the election of a new congress, to meet in December, was 
ordered conformably to that instrument. " Frankness, honour, 
honesty, and entire devotion to republican principles," wera 
dc fared" to be the basis of the new administration. 

The way being thus paved for the return of Santa Anna to 
the city of Mexico, he left his hacienda, where he had sojourned 



SANTA ANNA IN MEXICO. 209 

after his arrival at Vera Cruz ; and, at high noon, on the 15th 
of September, made a triumphal entry into the metropolis. He 
was hailed by the revolutionary chieftains, and by the people, 
with every demonstration of respectful and affectionate wel- 
come ; and as he rode through the streets to the national 
palace, amid the waving of thousands of hands, the cheers of 
thousand of voices, the swell of music, the peal of bells, and 
the roar of artillery, no observer would have dreamed that a 
potent foreign enemy, already the victor on well-contested 
fields, and the captor of fortified towns, was at that moment 
marching to further conquest into the land of that exulting 
multitude. For Santa Anna, however, the day might well con- 
tent his pride. The proscribed, the forsaken, the reviled, the 
banished, he returned to his country the chosen chief of her 
chiefs, his rivals prostrated and disgraced, and himself the idol 
of his own friends, and the admiration of theirs. In return for 
the confidence reposed in him, he promised a free government, 
and the fulfilment of every duty in resisting the enemies of his 
country. When the difficulties which beset him, in giving 
even the appearance of efficiency to this promise, are con- 
sidered, candour must award him the praise of singular talent 
as a statesman, a soldier, and a popular leader. 

On the 1st of September, General Taylor found his arrange- 
ments, after numerous difficulties and delays, so far completed, 
that he should be ready to advance upon the road to Monterey 
in the course of a few days. The evidence is of record, that 
the tardiness of his movements was not only not attributable to 
himself, but was caused by the neglect of the government or 
its agents in complying with his repeated and earnest sugges- 
tions. This fact is most forcibly set forth in the following 
plain and manly letter to the War Department : 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Camargo, September 1, 1846. 

Sir : Before marching for the interior, I beg leave to place 
on record some remarks touching an important branch of the 
public service, the proper administration of which is indispen • 

18* 



210 JUSTIFICATION OF GEN. TAYLOR. 

sable to the efficiency of a campaign. I refer to the Quarter- 
master's Department. There is at this moment, when the army 
is about to take up a long line of march, a great deficiency of 
proper means of transport, and of many important supplies. 

On the 26th April, when first apprizing you of the increased 
force called out by me, I wrote that I trusted the War Depart- 
ment would " give the necessary orders to the staff depart- 
ment, for the supply of this large additional force ;" and when 
first advised of the heavy force of twelve-months' volunteers 
ordered hither, I could not doubt that such masses of troops 
would be accompanied, or preferably preceded by ample means 
of transportation, and all other supplies necessary to render them 
efficient. But such has not been the case. Suitable steamboats 
for the Rio Grande were not procured without repeated efforts 
directed from this quarter, and many weeks elapsed before a 
lodgement could be made at this place, the river being per- 
fectly navigable. 

After infinite delays and embarrassments, I have succeeded 
in bringing forward a portion of the army to this point, and 
now the steamers procured in Pittsburg are just arriving. I 
hazard nothing in saying, that if proper foresight and energy 
had been displayed in sending out suitable steamers to navi- 
gate the Rio Grande, our army would long since have been in 
po'ssession of Monterey. 

Again, as to land transport. At this moment our wagon 
train is considerably less than when we left Corpus Christi, our 
force being increased five-fold. Had we depended upon means 
from without, the army would not have been able to move from 
this place. But fortunately the means of land transport existed 
to some extent in the country, in the shape of pack-mules, and 
we have formed a train which will enable a small army to ad- 
vance perhaps to Monterey. I wish it distinctly understood, 
that our ability to move is due wholly to means created here, 
and which could not have been reckoned upon with safety in 
Washington. 

I have adverted to the grand points of water and land trans- 
portation. Of the want of minor supplies, the army has suf- 



TAYLOR LEAVES CAMARGO. 211 

fered more than enough. The crying deficiency of camp 
equipage has been partially relieved by the issue of cotton 
tents, of indifferent quality. Our cavalry has been paralyzed 
by the want of horse-shoes, horse-shoe-nails, and even com- 
mon blacksmith's tools, while many smaller deficiencies are 
daily brought to my notice. 

I respectfully request that the above statement, which I make 
in justice to myself and the service, may be laid before the 
general-in-chief and Secretary of War. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Maj. Gen. U. S. A., commanding 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 

In the 5th of September, the divisions of General Butler 
and Col. Twiggs having taken up the line of march, General 
Taylor himself followed the army, leaving General Patterson 
in command of all the forces on the Rio Grande in and below 
Camargo. 

Although the main direction of Taylor's operations had been 
dictated by the Government, there yet remained, on the part 
of the latter, uncertainty in the details of the campaign. About 
the time that Taylor left Camargo, a despatch from the War 
Department, indicating its reliance upon his judgment, was in- 
tercepted by the enemy. Extracts from it are here given, how- 
ever, for the purpose of showing how great were the acknow- 
ledged difficulties of the enterprize with which Taylor was 
charged. 

" Our attention," says the Secretary of War, " is turned to 
Tampico as one of the places for the attack. It may be im- 
portant to take that place, and hold possession of it and the 
surrounding country, with reference to your line of operations. 
Though our information is not so full and accurate as we de- 
sire, in relation to the interior of the country in the vicinity of 
Tampico, yet it is such as induces us to believe that this will 
be an important position to be occupied, to facilitate the future 
prosecution of the war. The possession of the northern pro- 



212 INTERCEPTED INSTRUCTIONS. 

vinces of Mexico, as far south as San Luis de Potosi, is un- 
doubtedly an important object with reference to bringing the 
war to a successful termination. The difficulties you will en- 
counter in pushing your forces thus far, can be much better 
appreciated by yourself' than any other. San Luis de Potosi 
is stated to be from one hundred and fifty to one hundred and 
eighty miles from Tampico ; and if there be a good road be- 
tween these two places — as some allege to be the case, while 
it is questioned by others — it will be highly advantageous to 
have possession of Tampico, and to penetrate the country from 
that point in the direction of San Luis de Potosi with a con- 
siderable force. This matter is under consideration, and will 
receive the attention it deserves. It is important, in respect to 
the plan of operations to be adopted for a movement on this 
point, that you should furnish the Government here, at the 
earliest period, with your opinion of the progress you will be 
able to*make on your present line of operations. When you 
shall have arrived at Monterey, you will be enabled to deter- 
mine as to the practicability of your further progress. It is im- 
portant that we should know whether you can reach San Luis 
de Potosi, and your opinion on this point is particularly de- 
sired. The Administration is, to some extent, aware of the 
obstacles you will have to encounter, of the difficulties of sus- 
taining so long a line of communication, and of the uncer- 
tainty as to the force which will oppose you ; but your better 
information on these several points will enable you to form 
much more accurate opinions. 

" Your views also as to the effect of taking possession of 
Tampico, of penetrating the enemy's country from that point, 
of the amount and kind of force to be assigned to that service, 
are desired. 

" It is not intended to weaken the force of your advancing 
column by any movements on the coast. It is supposed that 
fifteen bundled or two thousand men will be a sufficient num- 
ber of troops to take and hold possession of Tampico. At 
least half of this force ought to be of the regular army. These, 



THE ARMY FOR MONTEREY. 213 

it is. presumed, can be obtained without withdrawing any of 
that description of force now with you. 

"The amount of the volunteer force required for this pur- 
pose can be taken from the Rio Grande, it is presumed, with- 
out too much weakening that line. 

" As you are in a situation to obtain more full and accurate 
information in relation to all the matters touched on in this 
communication, it is desirable — indeed quite important — that 
the Administration should have your views upon them. It is 
unnecessary to assure you that they will have an important in- 
fluence upon its determinations." 

The column organized by General Taylor for the advance 
on Monterey consisted of six thousand six hundred and forty 
men. It was composed of the following corps : 

BUTLER'S DIVISION. 

Harrier's { 1st Regiment Ohio Volunteers, Col. Mitchell 540 

Brigade. ( 1st Regiment Kentucky Volunteers, Col. Ormsby. . .. 540 
_ . , ( 1st Regiment Tennessee Volunteers, Col. Campbell. . 540 

Quitman s \ Miggisgippi Volunteers, Col. Davis 690 

Brigade. 1 Baltiinore Battalion, Col. Watson 400 

2710 

WORTH'S DIVISION. 

Regiment of Regulars, Col. P. F. Smith 500 

Dragoons, and parts of 6th and other Infantry 1080 

Two Companies McCulloch's and Gillespie's Texas Rangers 100 

1700 

TWIGGS' DIVISION. 

Texas Cavalry, Col. Hays 500 

U. S. Dragoons, Col. May 250 

Flying Artillery, Duncan and Ridgely 100 

Artillery, one ten-inch Mortar, Capt. Webster 60 

Parts of several Regiments, (Infantry) 1320 

2230 

Total, 6640 

Besides this force, General Taylor reserved two thousand 
one hundred men to garrison Camargo, and other forces for 
the points farther in his rear. The whole of this reserve was 
left under the command of General Patterson. 



214 SICKNESS AMONG VOLUNTEERS. 

From the time that General Taylor took possession of Mata- 
moros, it was his constant concern to bring the new corps of 
his army under the influence of strict discipline. He found 
himself suddenly charged with the command of not less than 
ten thousand volunteers, wholly unused to military restraint, 
and of necessity unconscious, for the most part, of its necessity 
for their common welfare, and the success of the enterprize in 
which they were enlisted. Brave and patriotic spirits, they 
were, at the same time, accustomed to the individual freedom 
of civil life ; and the irksomeness of absolute conformity to 
rules of deportment, and the commands of superiors, could not 
be worn off without some exhibitions of insubordination. One 
of the first measures adopted by Taylor to secure proper disci- 
pline, was to forbid traffic in ardent spirits in all the towns 
under his authority The weight of his own correct example 
as a man, and of his character as a commander, was material in 
accomplishing his purposes of military and moral organization. 
It is due, at the same time, to the volunteers, who, at the first 
call of the government, left their homes and profitable occupa- 
tions for dangerous and ill-paid service in a distant territory, 
to mention that they bore with heroic patience, not only the 
ordinary labours of a soldier's life, but the pains of long 
inarches, of exposure to burning suns and chilling dews, of 
hunsrer and thirst, and of sickness unto death. Hundreds and 
thousands of gallant young men, full of the noble impulses of 
their age, who, prompted by the desire to serve their country, 
and attracted by the hope of meriting well of their fellow-citi- 
zens, forsook fhe security and the endearments of peaceful life, 
to take up arms in a national cause, found themselves, after long 
travel and novel hardships, broken down by heart-sickness, 
wasted by disease, and perishing, not in the dazzling turmoil 
of the battle-field, but in the loathsome quietude of the hospi- 
tal, tended, when yielding their last breath, by no fond or 
wonted hand, and unconsoled in that sad hour even by the 
empty reflection that their names would swell the ephemeral 
record of war's humblest victims. 

On the 20th of August, General Worth's division had been 



THE M A R C H FRO M 6 A M A K U O . 215 

Ordered to advance on the road to Monterey as far as Seralvo, 
a town distant seventy miirs from Camargo, there to await 
further instructions of the commander-in-chief. The order 
was duly executed, the division arriving at Seralvo on the 
25th. This movement was the commencement of a new period 
in the operations of Taylor in Mexico, — a period illustrated by- 
extraordinary successes, confirming his title to every quality 
of a great general. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Enemy reinforced at Monterey — Taylor, with Twiggs' and Butler's Divisinn*. 
marches from Camargo — The March — Rest at Seralvo — Appearance of th«' 
Country — Mexican Forces discovered — The Advance before Monterey fired 
upon — Encampment at Walnut Springs — Description of Monterey — Its For- 
tifications — Mexican Forces in it — Ampudia's Address — Taylor's Reconnols- 
sance — His Plan of Assault — Worth's Expedition — His movement t>n the 
20th — Skirmish on the 21st — Occupation of the Saltillo Pass — Movements 
of Butler's Division — First Fort in the Eastern Suburbs carried — Terrible 
Fire of the Enemy's Batteries — Repulse of the Lancers — Two Forts on the 
Heights carried — Losses on the First Day — Dispositions for the Night. 

General Taylor, having been advised by General Worth that 
large reinforcements of the enemy were arriving at Monterey, 
determined to delay no longer his advance upon that place. The 
divisions of Generals Twiggs and Butler were accordingly 
ordered to take up the line of march, and General Taylor him- 
self left Camargo on the 7th of September. His route, for 
several days, lay through a country presenting few objects of 
interest. There was little vegetation except the thorny shrub- 
bery peculiar to that vast region of Mexico The aspect of 
the wilderness was varied by deep chasms or ravines, contain- 
ing, generally, stagnant water, equally offensive in taste and 
odor. After the town of Mier was passed, the prospect began 
to improve. Distant mountains began to show their misty out- 
line against the sky, and, as they were gradually approached, 



216 THE APPROACH TO MONTEREY. 

a clear, cool stream, the Arroya Mier, one of their tributes to 
the Rio Grande, swept across the road, — a most welcome mes- 
senger to the troops oppressed with heat, and worn with travel. 
From this point, the country wore a new T aspect, still, however, 
wild and primitive. The creeks and rivulets, fresh from the 
mountains, became frequent ; and, on their banks, bloomed 
olive groves, with other denizens of the genial south. At 
intervals, far between, an humble rancho was discovered ; and, 
more frequently, a rustic cross, marking a grave, or the spot 
where some wayfarer had been murdered. 

The three divisions of the army having rested at Seralvo, 
the first, under General Twiggs, resumed its march from that 
town on the 13th, and the others promptly followed. The 
road now broke fairly into the mountainous region. The Sierra 
Alvo, a magnificent elevation of three thousand feet, arose to 
the right, with an ascent so sudden, that from the peaks, as 
seen from below, it seemed a stone might be cast into the road. 
On the left frowned another height, while in front the grand 
range wore the appearance of an immense amphitheatre. As 
the ridges were gained the scenery changed, presenting, appa- 
rently, a vast plain, covered with chapparal, in crossing which, 
how r ever, it was found to be intersected with deep and rocky 
ravines, washed by the highland torrents. 

The Rangers, of Worth's division, thrown forward during 
his encampment at Seralvo, had discovered a large body of 
Mexican cavalry posted in the neighbourhood of Marin, a vil- 
lage on the north side of the river San Juan. Subsequently, 
on the march, slight skirmishes took place between advanced 
parties, but the enemy continued to retire towards Monterey. 
On the seventeenth the army was concentrated at Marin, twelve 
miles north-east of that city. The following morning, at day- 
break, the whole was in motion, General Twiggs' division 
leading, General Worth's following, and General Butler's 
bringing up the rear. In this order the San Juan had been 
crossed, and the head of the main column was about six miles 
from Monterey, when the report of artillery was heard. The 



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SITUATION O F M ONTEREY. 21 7 

Texas Rangers being in advance, it was known at once that 
the fire was from the enemy's batteries, directed against them, 
and a reconnoitring party, which escorted General Taylor 
within full view of the town. Doubts had been entertained 
whether resistance would be finally offered to the occupation 
of it ; but these doubts now ceased, and the troops, two- 
thirds of them volunteers who had never met an enemy in the 
field, started forward with vociferous cheers, forgetting fatigue 
in their anxiety to prove themselves worthy of the conquest 
which they sought. It was not General Taylor's intention to 
commence the assault that day. He therefore ordered a halt, 
on a small stream called the Walnut Springs, three miles north 
of the city, while a thorough reconnoissance of its position and 
defences might be effected by the officers of the engineer 
corps. 

Monterey, the capital of the State of New Leon, is a city 
of fifteen thousand inhabitants. It is distant about one hun- 
dred and fifty miles from Camargo, near the base of the grand 
mountainous range called the Sierra Madre, which sweeps 
around its south-western angle. The Arroya San Juan, a 
small branch of the San Juan river, runs beyond the town, 
parallel to the curve of the mountain. On the north, whence 
the road from Camargo approaches, is an extensive and gradu- 
ally inclined plain, rising from the margin of the creek, inter- 
rupted only by a dry ravine crossing it about three-fourths of a 
mile in front of the town ; which, at that distance, is seen em- 
bosomed in trees, revealing its white walls and spires through 
the openings of their luxuriant foliage. The plain is varied 
with patches of chapparal, and fields of corn and sugar-cane ; 
and the light of this sunny undergrowth is relieved by the 
umbrage of orange, lemon, citron, and olive groves, and other 
beautiful natives of that genial climate. The mountains, which 
wall up the southern and western horizon, rear their rugged 
and mighty, heads far above the clouds of the valley, and a 
single gorge marks the only continuation to Saltillo, of the 
roads from the Rio Grande, which coalesce at Monterey. 

To save this important and favoured spot from the posses- 



218 DESCRIPTION OF ITS DEFENCES. 

sion of an enemy, was a purpose which stimulated the ener- 
gies of its people and their government. To this end, the 
natural defences of the site were improved with skill and great 
diligence. In front, and to the right of the town, a very ex- 
tensive and strong fortress, known as the " citadel," had for 
some time been erected. Standing on the plain, it covers an 
area of about three acres, the walls of solid masonry, thick 
and high, with bastions commanding all approach from the 
north-east, the north, and north-west. On the eastern side of 
the city, several redouts were built near the suburbs, forbid- 
ding ingress in that quarter. The range of the southernmost 
of these extended to the base of the heights in the rear, be- 
tween which and the town, as has been described, is the course 
of the Arroyo San Juan. Following this course to the south- 
west extremity of the city, two forts appear on the hills of its 
further side ; while on the nearer side of it, as well as of the 
Saltillo road, two other fortifications crown successive eleva- 
tions covering the pass. Of these latter, the lower one is a 
large and unfinished structure, designed for the Bishop's Pa- 
lace, and known as such. The upper one, more remote from 
the city, is an independent redout, erected expressly for de- 
fence. Entrance to the town on that quarter was further for- 
bidden by the walls of the cemetery, forming a strong breast- 
Work with embrasures. These numerous and well-constructed 
works were mounted with forty-two heavy cannon. 

In addition to these special external defences, and many street 
barricades then constructed, Monterey presents in its plan, 
and in the form of its buildings, extraordinary obstacles to an 
assault. Regularly laid out, a few pieces of artillery command 
the whole length of the principal streets. But its chief secu- 
rity is the stone walls of the houses, which, rising above the 
flat roofs, and forming around them and the courts regular 
parapets, afford thorough protection to their defenders. Each 
dwelling is thus a separate castle, and the whole city one grand 
fortification, suggested by nature and consummated by art. To 
man the works, Ampudia,to whom the command was entrusted, 
had eight thousand regular troops, and several thousand militia 






RECONNOISSANCE BY GEN. TAYLOR. 219 

and armed citizens, with abundant supplies of small arms and 
ammunition in addition to the ordnance already mentioned. 
While these preparations for an attack were in progress, and 
before his forces had been concentrated, he issued the follow- 
ing address, showing his contempt for the little army of the 
Americans, then about marching to the capture of the northern 
stronghold of Mexico : 

" Soldiers : — The enemy, numbering only 2500 regular 
troops, the remainder being only a band of adventurers, with- 
out valour or discipline, are, according to reliable information, 
about advancing upon Seralvo, to commit the barbarity of 
attacking this most important place. We count near 3000 
regulars and auxiliary cavalry, and these will defeat them 
again and again, before they can reach this city. Soldiers, we 
are constructing fortifications, to make our base at a convenient 
time, and drive back this enemy at the point of the bayonet. 

" Soldiers! three great virtues make the soldier worthy of 
his profession ; discipline, constancy under fatigue, and valour. 
He who at this moment would desert his colours, is a coward 
and a traitor to his country. Our whole nation, and even 
foreign countries are the witnesses of your conduct. The 
question now is, whether our independence shall be preserved 
or forever lost ; and its solution is in your hands. 

" I have assured the supreme government of the triumph of 
our arms, confiding in your loyalty and enthusiasm ; and we 
will prove to the whole world that we are worthy sons of the 
immortal Hidalgo, Morelo, Allende, Iturbide, and so many 
other heroes who knew how to die combatting for the inde- 
pendence of our cherished country. 

" Soldiers ! victory or death must be our only device ! 

" Pedro de Ampudia. 

"Head-Quarters, Monterey, September 14, 1846." 

From the plain of the road by which he had approached 
Monterey, General Taylor, on the 19th of September, surveyed 
its fortifications, within range of the guns of the Citadel. He 
19* 



220 GENERAL WORTH'S DIVISION'. 

then halted the army, as we have seen, at Walnut Springs, 
where the camp was formed, and ordered a close reconnois- 
sance of the outworks on both sides of the town by the offi- i 
cers of the engineers and topographical engineers. The result I 
of this examination, boldly and carefully executed under the » 
direction of Major Mansfield and Captain Williams, at once 
determined the plan of operations. It became evident that I 
an attempt should be made to gain, by a detour to the west, , 
the Saltillo road, at its junction with the roads leading from 
the city; and from that point, cutting off the enemy's supplies 
and his retreat, to storm the heights overlooking it and the south- 
western angle of the city. For this difficult and important 
service General Taylor detached a division under General 
W T orth, on the following day, the 20th, at noon. 

The division was composed of Duncan's battery (four 
pieces) of Flying Artillery, the Artillery Battalion, under 
Lieutenant Colonel Childs, and the Eighth Regiment of In- 
fantry, under Captain Screvin, constituting the First Brigade, . 
under Lieutenant Colonel Staniford ; the Flying Artillery, 
(four pieces), under Lieutenant Mackall, the Fifth Infantry, 
under Major Scott, the Seventh, under Captain Niles, and one 
company Louisiana volunteers, under Captain Blanchard, com«* 
posing the Second Brigade, under General Persifer F. Smith; 
and Colonel Hay's regiment of Texas Mounted Riflemen.' 
Captain Sanders, military engineers, and Lieutenant Meade, 
topographical engineers, accompanied the division. General 
Worth, with this command, turning off* the direct road 
which connects Marin with Monterey, sought another to the 
right, called the Presquina Grande road. His progress was 1 
slow, the way having to be cut for the artillery, through fields 
of corn, sugar cane, and underwood ; but at sundown he had 
advanced six miles, and reaching the Presquina Grande road, 
came within range of the guns of the fort occupying the crest 
of the height, midway on which is situated the Bishop's 
Palace. A reconnoissance, under cover of the Texas Mounted 
Rifles, was then made along the road to its junction with the 
Saltillo road, and the importance of occupying the point of 



SKIRMISH OFWORTH'S DIVISION. 221 

.intersection was evident. It was also apparent that this could 
not be done without opposition, as the enemy's position would 
thereby be turned, and his communication with Saltillo and 
the Presquina Grande route would be intercepted. On the 
,night of the 20th the command bivouacked on the road. It 
,was cold and rainy, and there were neither tents nor blankejts 
to cover the men. But they bore the exposure cheerfully, 
encouraged with the expectation of achieving some daring 
enterprise on the morrow. 

, At dawn on the following morning, General Worth disposed 
his force for the march in such order as to be prepared for an 
lattack at any point. The Texas Cavalry, supported by the 
[light companies of the First Brigade, under Captain C. F. 
Smith, (both extended or contracted according to the ground 
over which they moved) composed the advance of the column. 
• Duncan's light artillery and battalion heads of columns fol- 
lowed. Pursuing for two miles, in this order, the road wind- 
ing along the base of the mountain, a turn around one of its 
projections brought immediately in view a strong body of 
Mexican cavalry and infantry. The former instantly and im- 

ijpetuously charged, and were received with a well-aimed and 

[.deliberate volley from the rifles of the mounted Texans. At the 
same instant, the infantry of the First Brigade, Duncan's guns, 
and a section of Mackall's, opened upon them with equal 
effect. Owing to the narrowness of the road, the Second 
Brigade could not be brought into action. While the enemy 
thus maintained the engagement with his troops on the road, a 
battery was throwing shells from the height above it. In 
fifteen minutes, however, both his infantry and cavalry gave 
way, leaving one hundred killed and wounded, among them 

| a colonel of the Lancers. The routed troops fled along the 
Saltillo road, hotly pressed by the victors, until they entered 
'the gorge which unites all the roads from Monterey. Here 
the pursuit ceased ; the important point being occupied, which 
intercepted all supplies and reinforcements from that quarter 
to the city. As the division was there exposed to the batte- 
ries on the heights. General Worth moved it about half a 



222 MOVEMENT OF TWIGGS' DIVISION. 

mile farther, and then directed his attention to the means of : 
carrying by assault those elevated fortresses, the possession of i j 
which was essential to any closer operations against the city ; ( 
itself. _ < 

While General Worth was about to make an assault upon i i 
the works to the right and rear of the town, General Taylor, i 
in conformity with his own plans, as well as a suggestion from t 
General Worth, determined on a diversion in his favour, by 
ordering the other divisions to make a strong demonstration, to 
the left and centre, on the lower part of the town. During the t 
night of the 20th, two twenty-four-pound howitzers, and a ten- ; 
inch mortar, under Captain Webster, were placed in battery, 
facing the " citadel," in the ravine crossing the plain in. 
the approach to the city. Early on the morning of the 21st, 
the First Division, under General Twiggs, composed of the 
Third and Fourth Regiments of Regular Infantry, Captain 
Bragg's Flying Artillery, forming Lieut. Col. Garland's Brii--| 
gade, and the First Regiment of Regular Infantry, and thet 
Washington and Baltimore battalion of volunteers, forming 
Lieut. Col. Wilson's Brigade, were marched from the camp at 
Walnut Springs to the ravine where the mortar battery was 
planted. There the command was formed for the assault, the* 
three regiments of regulars being ordered to take possession of! 
some houses on the right of the enemy's works, situated on the 
east of the city, and the volunteers to advance upon the works* 
directly. General Butler's Division, composed of Quitman's 
Brigade, the Tennessee and Mississippi Regiments, and the- 
Ohio Regiment of Hamer's Brigade of volunteers, having formed 
in front of the ravine soon after Twiggs' Division moved from 
that position against the city, were prepared to support the 
latter in the assault. 

The affair of the day on that side, commenced by a heavy 
discharge of artillery from the citadel, which was ineffectually 
answered by the howitzer and mortar batteries ; the shot of the 
latter falling short of the town, while that of the citadel fell 
among Butler's Division in front of the ridge. The Division 
of General Twiggs continued to advance under tremendous 



MOVEMENT OB BUTLER'S DIVISION. 223 

cross fires from the chain of forts on the left of the town. The 
three regiments of regulars, with inflexible firmness, moved to 
then* designated positions, gaining the town so as to annoy the 
enemy's works in that quarter on the flank and rear. Rivalling 
the courage of these elder troops, and filled with the enthusiasm 
of volunteers, the Washington and Baltimore battalion pressed 
onward in the teeth of batteries pouring ruinous discharges 
upon their ranks. Bragg's artillery, at the same moment, was 
worked within direct range of the enemy's heavy guns. 

When the battalion had approached close to one of the forts, 
the men were ordered to lie down for momentary respite Yrom 
its guns. These, however, were soon depressed, when a por- 
l tion of the command, led on by their officers, rushed into a 
narrow street, having but few houses on either side. Here 
they were raked by three batteries within a hundred yards, and 
by the twelve-pounders of the large work, which enfiladed 
their column during the whole period of its progress. At the 
intersection of the streets, high and strong barricades of solid 
masonry had been erected, and from these and the tops of the 
houses, thousands of smaller arms rained a deadly shower upon 
them. Numbers of the regulars and detachments of the volun- 
teers were similarly engaged at other points in the same quarter 
of the town. 

For about an hour this contest had proceeded with unabated 
fury, when Butler's division was ordered to sustain the advance. 
His men, already formed in line, had watched with eager in- 
terest the progress of their comrades, burning for the moment 
when they should be summoned to share in the strife. The 
Kentucky Regiment, Col. Ormsby, being left unwillingly to 
protect the howitzer and mortar batteries, Quitman's Brigade, 
(the Tennessee Regiment, Col. Campbell, and the Mississippi, 
] Col. Davis,) and Col. Mitchell's Ohio Regiment, forming alone 
| Hamer's Brigade, moved off", the former to the left, to support 
* -the regulars of Twiggs' Division, and the latter to support 
Bragg's battery, which had already lost about twenty horses, 
and was in danger of being captured. With emulous cheers, 
defying the roar of the citadel's ordnance, the two commands 



224 T II K FIRS T WORK CARRIED. 

sped on to their terrible duty and their course for full a mile, 
exposed to its unceasing fire. The Ohio volunteers reached 
the suburbs, there to be greeted, as their friends had "been 
before them, with the raking discharges of batteries in front, 
and on both flanks. Breasting the iron torrent, and unable to 
reach an enemy behind the house-walls and barriers, they still 
struggled on, passing gardens and ditches, which exposed them 
to the full play of both artillery and musketry. At last, some 
of the foremost, mounting a wall, came close upon a corps of 
the enemy, and drove it to a battery farther in the town. At 
this* point, opportunity was afforded of returning their shot 
with effect, — but the contest was unequal, our men being ex- 
posed upon the wall, and the Mexicans protected by their 
breastworks. At this point, General Butler was met by Major 
Mansfield, who had conducted a command of Twiggs* Division 
against one of the batteries, and who advised the general to 
advance no farther, as he would come within range of an irre- 
sistible fire from other batteries commanding the streets. 
General Taylor was not far in the rear of this spot, — exposed 
constantly to the enemy's fire, — and learning this fact from 
General Butler, ordered the Ohio men to retire. 

Meanwhile, the Tennessee and the Mississippi volunteers 
had reached a position on the north-east of the city. At this 
point, was a strong fort, the rear of which Colonel Garland had 
endeavoured to gain, but was met with such a severe fire, 
which could not be returned, that he was compelled to retire. 
At the moment, however, that the Mississippians and Tennes- 
seeans were coining on, Captain Backus, of the 1st regular in- 
fantry, with parts of his own and other companies of that 
regiment, had mounts! the roof of a tannery commanding the 
v fort, and was pouring into it an efiectual discharge of musketry. 
Several companies of the Fourth Infantry, advancing within 
close range of its guns, received a terrible fire, which instantly 
killed and wounded one-third of their number, and caused them 
to fall back. At this juncture, Quitman's volunteers, the Ten- 
nesseeans being well in advance, pressed forward, and pre- 
servin"- dieir line under a fire which made constant breaches in 



SEVERE V I R E O V T H E E N E M V . 225 

ks living wall, rushed upon the works, and carried them at the 
point of the bayonet. A strong, stone building in the rear was 
taken at the same time. The conduct of these two regiments, 
in this assault, was distinguished equally by the hot-blooded 
recklessness of youth, and the steady bravery of veterans. 
Whether in approaching the enemy's batteries, when the balls 
were hurled in torrents upon them, or when mounting the 
barriers to engage their defenders hand to hand, these gallant 
troops were alike heedless of every result save the fulfilment of 
the immediate task assigned them. 

In the fort, five pieces of artillery, a large amount of ammu- 
nition, and thirty prisoners, including three officers, were cap- 
tured. But the prize was purchased at a fearful cost of blood, 
and much more was yet to be paid before other possessions of 
the enemy could be acquired. 

As soon as General Taylor learned that this fort was carried, 
he countermanded the order for Butler's division to withdraw, 
and ordered that work, and other defences on the side of the 
town which had been already gained, to be maintained. 
Hamer's brigade, the Ohio volunteers, now moved farther to 
the left, towards another strong fort in the line of its eastern 
defences. It required half an hour to come within close range 
of this work, during which the regiment was exposed to a de- 
structive fire, from three different batteries concentrated upon 
them. It was resolved to attempt to carry the fort by storm, 
when General Butler was wounded, and, at the same time, 
Colonel Mitchell, commanding the regiment. A murderous 
discharge of musketry swept the ranks continually, and the 
attempt was abandoned, the force being withdrawn to a posi- 
tion of less exposure. 

The battery of the fort captured by Quitman's brigade was 
now turned upon this second work ; and, under its cover, the 
artillery of Bragg and Ridgely was served, supported by parts 
of several regiments scattered during the general assault. Sub 
sequently, Captain Webster's howitzer was made to bear from 
the captured fort upon the second fort, against which the Ohio 
volunteers had made their daring but unsuccessful movement. 



226 GENERAL TAYLOR EXPOSED. 

The latter, on retiring to the skirts of the town, at a point 
where a portion of the Mississippi regiment had also returned, 
found themselves dispersed on the plain, so as to present ap- 
parently an object of easy attack from a body of lancers then 
in view. The latter, accordingly, dashed towards them, but 
not in time to prevent their forming an imperfect front so as to 
meet the charge. On came the cavalry, which is the boast of 
Mexico, striking with their lances, as they swept over the field, 
the Americans who lay wounded and helpless upon it, until 
within short range of the volunteers' muskets, when a volley 
from the line checked their career, bearing down the foremost 
horses and riders, and driving the rest in disorder back to their 
position. 

During this, and other independent scenes in the drama of 
the day, parties and individuals of all regiments were in the 
streets, charging on the barricades, or returning the inces- 
sant fire of the enemy's batteries and lighter arms whenever 
an object for effectual aim was presented. General Taylor, 
who was almost constantly within range of the flying shot, 
ordered as many of the First, Third, and Fourth Infantry, or 
the Baltimore Battalion, as coidd be collected, again to enter 
the town, and carry, if possible, the second battery, against 
which Captain Webster's howitzer was then directed. Of this 
mixed force, Lieutenant Colonel Garland took the command, 
and a gallant effort was made to achieve the object. Receiving 
a fire from every direction, it pressed on to gain the rear of the 
work, and taking a position, maintained it for some time with 
the aid of Ridgely's battery. But the work proved too strong 
and well defended at every approach to be stormed with suc- 
cess, and the command was withdrawn. During this move- 
ment, Captain Bragg's artillery, supported by Captain Miller 
with § force of regulars and volunteers, dispersed a body of 
cavalry making a demonstration in front of the town. 

Hours passed, while these various and daring exertions were 
made to obtain possession of the chain of fortifications on the 
east and south- east of the city. They were defended by the 
Mexicans with constanry and valour, but with every advantage 



EFFECT OF T A YLOK's M OVEMENTS. 227 

over the assailants in numbers, position, and arms. The 
latter were subjected, in all their movements, to terrible 
cross and direct fires, hurling upon them a continual stream of 
heavy shot, grape, and musket balls. Yet there was no waver- 
ing, no abatement of ardour. Volunteers and regulars, the 
men by whom the clash of arms was then first heard, and they 
who had chosen arms as a profession, fought and fell side by 
side, scores on scores, and yet all who stood, still stood firmly, 
still strove on, undaunted by the slaughter which raged around 
them. 

The main object, had in view by General Taylor in the 
assault upon the east side of the city, had so far been entirely 
accomplished. A long-continued diversion had been made in 
favour of General Worth's movements in the opposite quarter. 
To them we now revert. 

After having, early in the morning, repulsed the enemy's 
lancers posted at the spur of the mountain, and advanced to a 
position on the Saltillo road about half a mile west of the gorge, 
where the several roads from the north-eastern valley unite, a 
further reconnoissance was made of the fortifications on the 
heights on each side. A brief mention has already been made 
of these works, but a further description is necessary to a clear 
understanding of the operations of General Worth's division. 

The Creek or Arroyo San Juan, which sweeps, with the line 
of the mountain base, around the southern and eastern sides 
of the city, has its source to the south-west, and passing through 
the great gorge of the range in that direction, defines the line 
of the road to Saltillo, which is constructed on its northern 
margin. From this creek, at a point about a mile southwest 
of the city, and facing towards it, may be seen about six hun- 
dred yards to the right, a height called Federacion, which was 
surmounted by a strong redout ; and on the same ridge, half 
a mile nearer the city, another height crowned by a work called 
"Fort Soldado." On the left of the creek, opposite these 
elevations, rises Mitre Mountain ; on a prominence of which, 
called Independencia, nearly due north of Federacion, and 
about half a mile distant from it in an air line, was a third 
20 



228 ASSAULT ON FEDERACION HILL. 

fortified work. On a lower point of the same ridge, form- 
ing Independencia, and in a south-eastern direction, about 
a quarter of a mile nearer to the city, stands the Bishop's Pa- 
lace. These four works, two on each side of the Saltillo road, 
were reared on eminences sufficiently lofty and precipitous to 
be difficult of access, while they thoroughly commanded the 
deep valley between them, and the slopes on every other side. 

The first progress of General Worth was around the south- 
western base of Independencia, which brought his command 
between it and Federacion. It was determined that the first 
effort of his command should be made against the fort on the 
latter, the possession of all the heights being vital to the ad- 
vance of the whole army on Saltillo. At noon, on the 21st, 
he ordered four companies of the Regular Artillery Battalion, 
under Captain C. F. Smith, and six companies — Green's, 
McGowan's, Gillespie's, Chandlis', Ballowes', and McCulloch's, 
of the Texas Rifles, under Major Chevalier, (both commands 
numbering about three hundred men, and acting in co-opera- 
tion,) to storm the batteries first on Federacion Hill, and then 
to carry Fort Soldado. During the morning the- enemy's guns 
had not been idle, but when the movement for this assault 
commenced, they were served with redoubled zeal. Captain 
Smith led his men to the foot of the hill, whence, looking up, 
the toil of an unopposed and unencumbered ascent might well 
daunt common energies. Upward however they went, breast- 
ing sometimes the plunging discharges of the enemy's batteries 
high above them, and sometimes screened for a moment by a 
projecting rock, or a cluster of underwood. Occasionally 
they paused to return the fire, and in a moment were again 
climbing the rugged and perilous steep, from whose frowning 
crest balls of iron and copper rained upon them. At the same 
time bodies of Mexican light troops sallied from the works en 
both adjacent hills, and forming on every favourable point, 
seconded their heavy guns with volleys of musketry. 

At this moment, the enemy menacing Smith's command 
with an overwhelming superiority of numbers, Captain Miles, 
with the Seventh Infantry, was ordered to his support. The 



• 
FEDERACION AND SOLDADO CARRIED. 229 

firing now became general, as the ascent of the storming party 
brought them within more effectual range of the forces above 
them. Other reinforcements of the latter being displayed 
around their works, General Worth directed General Smith, 
with the Fifth Infantry, under Major Scott, and the Louisiana 
Volunteers, under Captain Blanchard, to the further aid of the 
troops engaged. This third command pressed eagerly on to 
the assault ; and General Smith perceiving the practicability of 
storming Fort Soldado simultaneously with the attack already 
commenced on the other work, divided the supporting force, 
and directed the Fifth and Seventh, and the Louisiana Volun- 
teers against Soldado. Captain Smith's men continuing to 
mount the Federacion height, drove the enemy up and back 
upon the entrenchment, the contest becoming closer and closer, 
until, charging with the bayonet, they cleared the breastwork, 
and while its routed defenders fled precipitately down the op- 
posite side of the hill, tore down their standard, and raised the 
first American flag that ever waved in the mountain breezes of 
Mexico. Loud and heart-stirring were the cheers which hailed 
it, echoed from the valley by the gallant troops, then rushing 
up to plant a kindred banner on the neighbouring height. 

Immediately, the piece of ordnance (a nine-pounder) found 
in the captured works was directed against Fort Soldado, and 
the main body of Captain Smith's command then started in 
support of the other command. On the latter went, as they 
began the ascent receiving in their midst a tempest of grape 
and canister. With good will, however, they emulated the 
gallantry of their friends ; Captain Hays, with about fifty 
Texas rifles, joining in the work. Conquering the acclivity by 
the aid of every stone that offered a foothold, and every bush 
within grasp, they approached the Mexican lines near enough 
to use their muskets with effect. Loading and firing as they 
ascended, unchecked for an instant by the fire from above, 
they rose at last to within fifty yards of the wall, and then with 
a shout drove the enemy from it, and turned upon the confused 
and fleeing mass the artillery which themselves had loaded. 
Having served this purpose for the moment, it was then di- 



t 
230 LOSSES ON THE FIR S T DAY. 

rected, together with the gun on Federaeion Hill, against the 
Bishop's Palace. The fire was returned from the latter with 
round shot and shell ; the valley of the Saltillo road separating 
the works only six hundred yards from the Palace. In these 
brilliant exploits, the officers already mentioned, and every 
subordinate and man, behaved with admirable daring. The 
whole force against both fortifications did not exceed six or 
seven hundred men, who, reckless of opposing numbers, and 
of their superior and strong position, charged up to them and 
swept them from their lofty perch. 

The sun was descending when the second fort had been 
carried, and about the same time, on the same side of the 
creek, at the south-eastern extreme of the city, the enemy's 
cavalry, having been previously checked by the Ohio and a 
part of the Mississippi regiments, made a demonstration against 
the troops exposed in that quarter. Ridgely brought his light 
battery to bear on them, and scattered them until they sought 
shelter in the city. 

After this no important movement was effected in any direc- 
tion. The approach of night and a severe rain storm arrested 
the terrible labours of the day — terrible to both parties. The 
divisions on the east of the town had lost many officers of great 
merit, and many more men, who, if indomitable energy and 
valour were the test, should have also been chiefs, not followers. 
Among the notable dead were, Captain Williams of the topo- 
graphical engineers, who aided heroically in directing the as- 
sault upon the first redout ; Lieutenants Terrett and Dihvorth, 
of the First Infantry; Lieutenant Colonel Watson, of the Bal- 
timore Battalion, one of the first to fall while cheering on his 
men, under the raking cross fires of the street works ; Brevet 
Major Barbour, of the Third Infantry, and Lieutenants Irwin 
and Hazlett of the same regiment ; Captain Allen and Lieu- 
tenant Putnam, of the Tennessee Volunteers, which indomit- 
able corps left, besides these officers, nearly half its numbers 
dead or wounded in the streets and fields ; Lieutenant Woods, 
o( the Second Infantry, who had distinguished himself also at 
Ilesaca de la Palma ; Lieutenant Hoskins, of the Fourth 



CLOSE OF THE FIRST DAY. 231 

Infantry, and Lieutenant Colonel Hett, of the Ohio Volunteers, 
a regiment worthy of the officer, and which freely mingled its 
blood with his. Nearly four hundred of all the troops, Regu- 
lars and Volunteers, engaged east of the town, were killed or 
wounded. The avenues at times were choked with their 
bodies, where guns of the forts had centred on them. The 
Kentucky Regiment was not brought into the action farther 
than to support the field battery posted in front of the citadel. 
It stood ready several times to receive a threatened charge of 
a large body of lancers, and rendered efficient aid in main- 
taining the demonstration in front of the town. 

General Worth's loss was comparatively very small, owing to 
the less exposed position of his command. How they per- 
formed the tasks assigned them has been seen. Thirty-six 
hours had they been without food, one night in the rain with- 
out shelter or blankets, and now exposed on the coming of a 
second to a violent storm, and equally unprotected. 

The divisions of Butler and Twiggs, under the immediate 
command of General Taylor, were ordered back to the camp, 
except the Regulars of the First Division and Ridgely's battery, 
left to garrison the captured works, under Lieutenant Colonel 
Garland, and one battalion of the First Kentucky Regiment, 
detailed to work at the entrenchments through the night, and 
strengthen the positions acquired on the eastern part of the 
city. So wearied were all the troops with the labours of the 
day, that a witness relates, of those ordered back to the camp, 
many with difficulty reached it. 

Throughout the day General Taylor was constantly near or 
on the ground of actual conflict, sharing its dangers, and by 
his calm bravery giving effectual virtue to his directions. 
General Worth, apprehending a surprise, was obliged to keep 
most of his force on the watch through the night of the 21st. 
The few who sought rest had no shelter, and lay down under 
the heavy fall of rain, with their arms in their hands. The com- 
mands in the eastern quarter of the city enjoyed no better pro- 
tection or repose. Thus ended the labours of the first day 
before Monterey. 
20* 



232 INDEPENDENCIA CARRIED. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Independencia carried — Sortie from the Palace — Enemy repulsed and Palace 
taken — Operations on the Eastern Quarter — Progress towards the Heart of 
the Town — Worth's Progress on Opposite Side — Command of the Main 
Plaza — Flag of Truce — Suspension of the Attack — Taylor's Despatch — Cor- 
respondence with Ampudia and the Governor — Taylor's Detailed Report of 
the Siege — Extract from Worth's Report — Comments on the Action — Con- 
ference between Ampudia and Taylor — Commissioners on the Capitulation 
appointed — Proceedings of the Commission — Terms of Capitulation — Peport 
of Killed and Wounded. 

General Worth had determined that the operations of the 
22d,in the rear of the city, should commence against the work 
surmounting Independencia height and the Bishop's Palace, 
making the first assault on the former. This duty was assigned 
to one company of the Third Regulars (artillery battalion), two, 
companies of the Fourth, three companies of the Eighth, under 
Captain Screvin, and two hundred Riflemen, under Colonel Hays 
and Lieutenant Colonel Walker, the whole command under 
Lieutenant Colonel Childs, conducted by Captain Sanders, of 
the military, and Lieutenant Meade, of the topographical engi- 
neers. At three o'clock on the morning of the 22d this force 
was in motion. The rain and darkness favoured its ap- 
proach to the enemy's position. The ascent of the hill was 
commenced and conducted without molestation. As the ac- 
clivity was gradually overcome, the gray light of morning 
began to struggle through the mist which clouded its crest. 
Quietly and steadily the command ascended until within a 
hundred yards of the top, when a body of the enemy posted 
among the rocks and bushes came full in view. Expecting 
an attack they had awaited it. They fired and retreated, while 
assailants hastened up, reserving their fire until close upon the • 
redout, when delivering one general and deadly volley, they 
dashed into it with the bayonet, while the Mexicans lied down i 
the other side. Just then, as the coming sun streaked the 
white mists of the mountain peaks, the emulous flag of the 
Union floated above the third of the enemy's lofty strongholds. 

It was found that the guns of this post had been removed in 
the night to the Bishop's Palace, then the only remaining posi- 



THE BISHOP'S PALACE CARRIED. 233 

tion of the Mexicans on the heights in the rear of the town. 
The high walls of massive masonry, defended by a howitzer, 
and two pieces of ordnance, besides a heavy force of musketry, 
forbade any attempt to carry the latter work without the aid of 
artillery. To procure this, Lieutenant Rowland, of Duncan's 
Artillery, was ordered from the main camp with a twelve-pound 
howitzer, and so great was his despatch, that, in two hours, 
with the aid of fifty men from the line under Captain Sanders, 
selected for the purpose of pointing out the least difficult route, 
that enterprizing and gallant officer, (as he is justly termed in 
the language of the General's official report,) had ascended the 
broken and steep acclivity of Independencia hill, and planted 
his gun in position. From it, under cover of the breastwork, 
an effectual fire was immediately directed against the Palace, 
distant about four hundred yards on the next point of the ridge. 
While this battery was thus brought to bear, part of the forces 
having possession of the heights on the opposite side of the 
road were ordered over. They consisted of the Fifth Infantry, 
Major Scott, and the Louisiana volunteers, Captain Blanchard, 
and reached the position about 8 o'clock. 

The enemy made several demonstrations of an attempt to 
regain the work last captured. At length, a large body of 
lancers swept around and up the hill with that intent. A sortie, 
by a strong force, was also made from the Palace. General 
Worth anticipated the movement. Lieutenant Colonel Childs 
had advanced two companies of light troops, under Captain 
Vinton, which skirmished with the enemy's advance. The 
main body was drawn up, with Hays' and Walker's Rifles, on 
the flanks. As the enemy rapidly advanced, the light troops 
retired in good order, and maintained a fire, until a general 
discharge from the whole line was ordered. The Mexicans 
were at once thrown into confusion, and fled, pursued by the 
whole force, under Colonel Childs, beyond the Palace, which 
the latter then entered, taking possession of it, and the fort ad- 
joining it. Down the enemy rushed towards the city, crowd- 
ing a street which extended to the Palace ; and, as they fled, 
the guns of their last mountain fastness were turned upon them. 



234 THE EASTERN FORTS EVACUATED. 

Thus terminated the complete investment of the works com- 
manding the rear of the city, and the communication with the 
country to the south-west. The honour of the achievement 
was enhanced by the fact, that it was attended with but trifling 
sacrifice on the part of the victors. Prudence had gone hand 
in hand with courage, even in the boldest enterprizes of the two 
eventful days. 

General Worth's next care was to place the captured guns 
in positions on the heights to reach the great plaza of the town ; 
and, except a necessary garrison for Independencia hill, the di- 
vision was concentrated at the Bishop's Palace, to be prepared 
the next day for an assault on the city from that quarter. 

The day, the 22d, which had so well employed Worth's 
Division, was less actively spent by the wearied troops of the 
other division in the eastern quarter of the town. According 
to the official report, the citadel and other works continued to 
fire at parties exposed to their range, and at the work now oc- 
cupied by our troops. The guard left in it the preceding night, 
except Captain Ridgely's company, was relieved at mid-day 
by General Quitman's brigade. Captain Bragg's battery was 
thrown under cover in front of the town, to repel any demon- 
stration of cavalry in that quarter. During the night of the 22d 
the enemy evacuated nearly all his defences in the lower part 
of the city. This was reported to General Taylor early in the 
morning of the 23d, by General Quitman, who had already 
meditated an assault upon those works. He immediately sent 
instructions to that officer, leaving it to his discretion to enter 
the city, covering his men by the houses and walls, and ad- 
vance carefully so far as he might deem it prudent. After 
ordering the remainder of the troops as a reserve, under 
the orders of Brigadier General Twiggs, General Taylor re- 
paired to the abandoned works, and discovered that a portion 
of General Quitman's brigade had entered the town, and were 
successfully forcing their way towards the principal plaza. He 
then ordered up the second regiment of Texas mounted volun- 
teers, who entered the city, dismounted, and, under the imme- 
diate orders of General Henderson, co-operated with General 



APPROACH TO THE MAIN PLAZA. 235 

Quitman's brigade. Captain Bragg's battery was also ordered 
up, supported by the Third Infantry, and after firing for some 
time at the Cathedral, a portion of it was likewise thrown into 
the city. The American troops advanced from house to house, 
and from square to square, until they reached a streetbut one 
square in rear of the principal plaza, in and near which the 
enemy's force was mainly concentrated. This advance was 
conducted vigorously, but with due caution, and although de- 
structive to the enemy, was attended with but small loss on 
our part. Captain Ridgely, in the mean time, had served a 
captured piece in the first battery against the city, until the ad- 
vance of our men rendered it imprudent to fire in the direction 
of the Cathedral. General Taylor was satisfied that his troops 
could operate successfully in the city, and that the enemy had 
retired from the lower portion of it to make a stand behind his 
barricades. As General Quitman's brigade had been on duty 
the previous night, he determined to withdraw the troops to 
the evacuated works, and concert with General Worth a com- 
bined attack upon the town. The troops accordingly fell back 
deliberately, in good order, and resumed their original posi- 
tions, General Quitman's brigade being relieved after nightfall 
by that of General Hamer. 

When General Worth heard, on. the morning of the 23d, 
the heavy and continuous fire from the opposite side of the 
city, he concluded that a main attack was in progress under 
the direction of General Taylor, and that orders for his co- 
operation had miscarried, owing to the long circuit over which 
it was necessary to carry them. His own intention was to 
have prosecuted his success during that night, but he instantly 
gave orders to this effect. To quote the clear and concise 
language of Worth's despatch, two columns of attack were 
organised to move along the two principal streets leading from 
one position in direction of the great Plaza, composed of light 
troops slightly extended, with orders to mask the men when- 
ever practicable ; avoid those points swept by the enemy's 
artillery ; to press on to the first Plaza Capilla; to get hold of 
the end of streets beyond ; then enter the buildings, and by 



236 COMMAND OF THE MAIN PLAZA. , 

means of picks and bars, break through the longitudinal sec- 
tion of the walls ; work from house to house, and ascending 
the roofs, to place themselves upon the same breast-height 
with the enemy. Light artillery, by sections, and pieces under 
Duncan, Roland, Mackall, Martin, Hays, Irons, Clarke, and 
Curd, followed at suitable intervals, covered by reserves to 
guard the pieces, and the whole operation against the pro- 
bable enterprizes of cavalry upon our left. This was effectu- 
ally done by seizing and commanding the head of every cross 
street. The streets were, at different and well chosen points, 
barricaded by heavy masonry walls, with embrasures for one 
or more guns, and in every instance well supported by cross 
batteries. These arrangements of defence gave to the opera- 
tions at this moment a complicated character, demanding 
much care and precaution ; but the work went on steadily, 
simultaneously, and successfully. About the time Worth's 
assault commenced, the fire ceased from Taylor's force in the 
opposite quarter. Disengaged on the one side, the enemy was 
enabled to shift men and guns to Worth's quarters, as was 
soon manifested by accumulation of fire. At dark his com- 
mand had worked through the walls and squares, and reached 
to within one block of the great Plaza, leaving a covered way 
in its rear ; carried a large building which towered over the 
principal defences, and during the night and ensuing morning 
crowned the roof with two howitzers and a six-pounder. As< 
the columns of attack were moving from the Palace hill, Major 
Munroe, chief of artillery, arrived with a ten-inch mortar, 
which was immediately advanced to the Plaza Chapel, put in 
position, masked by the church wall, its bed adjusted as ra- 
pidly as possible, and by sunset opened upon the great square. 
At this period, our troops had worked to within one square of 
the Plaza. The exact position of their comrades on the oppo- 
site side was not known, and the distance of the position to 
be assailed from the bomb battery but conjectural : eight hun- 
dred yards was assumed, and fuze and charge regulated ac- 
cordingly. The first shell fell a little short of the point on 
which it was directed, and beside our troops. A slight in- 



CESSATION O F . A R. M S . 237 

crease of the projecting charge gave exact results. The whole 

\ service was managed by Major Munroe most admirably; and, 

I combined with Other. operations, exercised a decided influence 

; upon the final results. Early on the morning of the 23d, 

; Major Brown, artillery battalion, was despatched with a select 

command, and one section of Mackall's battery, under Lieu- 

• tenant Irons, to occupy a stone mill and adjacent grounds, 

| constituting one league in advance the narrow gorge, near Sta. 

Catarina. The Major took possession, repulsed the enemy's 

picquets, and was preparing his command to resist any attack, 

when he received orders to retrace his steps, enter the city, and 

form the main reserve to the assaulting columns. He came up 

in good time and good order, and was at once under fire. 

It has been seen that Generals Taylor and Worth were thus 
advancing close to the centre of the town from opposite direc- 
tions. General Taylor, after withdrawing his troops from their 
advanced position near the Grand Plaza, as has been stated, 
returned to his camp, and there, in the evening, learned for 
the first time the extent of Worth's success in the town prim- 
to that hour. He deemed it too late then to change his own 
dispositions ; and receiving a note near midnight from General 
Worth, stating his further progress, and the position of his 
mortar battery, he requested that officer to await his co-opera- 
tion for further movements. Meanwhile General Worth had 
received from the enemy a flag of truce, asking a brief suspen- 
sion of his fire. Thus concluded the four days' action against 
Monterey, in the entreaty of its defenders for a capitulation. 
No previous achievement in the history of American arms affords 
a more splendid illustration of the heroism of the American 
character. 

Before proceeding to give further details of the siege, or 
comments upon the result of it, the following despatches of 
General Taylor are presented, to complete the chaia of the 
narrative. It is unnecessary to introduce his brief accounts 
of the affairs of the 21st, 22d, and 23d, written on those days 
respectively, as the detailed report, dated the 9th of Octobci , 
and annexed, covers the whole ground. 



238 COMMISSION ON CAPITULATION. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Camp before Monterey, September 25, 1846. 

Sir : At noon on the 23d instant, while our troops were 
closely engaged in the lower part of the city, as reported in 
my last despatch, I received, by a flag, a communication from 
the Governor of the State of New Leon, which is herewith 
enclosed, (No. 1.) To this communication I deemed it my 
duty to return an answer declining to allow the inhabitants to 
leave the city. By 11 o'clock, P. M., the 2d division, which 
had entered the town from the direction of the Bishop's Palace, 
had advanced within one square of the principal Plaza, and 
occupied the city up to that point. The mortar had, in the 
mean time, been placed in battery in the cemetery, within good 
range of the heart of the town, and was served throughout the 
night with good effect. 

Early in the morning of the 24th, I received a flag from the 
town, bearing a communication from General Ampudia, which 
I enclose, (No. 2,) and to which I returned the answer, (No. 
3.) I also arranged w r ith the bearer of the flag a cessation of 
fire until 12 o'clock, which hour I appointed to receive the - 
final answer of General Ampudia at General Worth's head- 
quarters. Before the appointed time, however, General Am- 
pudia had signified to General Worth his desire for a personal 
interview with me, for the purpose of making some definitive 
arrangement. An interview was accordingly appointed for one 
o'clock, and resulted in the naming of a commission to draw 
up articles of agreement regulating the withdrawal of the Mexi- 
can forces, and a temporary cessation of hostilities. The com- 
missioners named by the Mexican general-in-chief were Gene- 
rals Ortega and Raquena, and Manl. M. Llano, governor of 
New Leon. Those named on the American side were General 
Worth, General Henderson, Governor of Texas, and Colonel 
Davis, Mississippi volunteers. The commission finally settled 
upon the articles, of which I enclose a copy, (No. 4,) the du- 
plicates of which (in Spanish and English) have been duly 
signed. Agreeably to the provisions of the 4th article, our 
troops have this morning occupied the citadel 



A M p\l D I A ' S PRO'PO^AL T O KliTiRK. 239 

It will be seen that the terms granted the Mexican garrison 
are less rigorous than those first imposed. The gallant defence 
of the town, and the fact of a recent change of government iti 
Mexico, believed to be favourable to the interests of peace, in- 
duced me to concur with the commission in these terms, which 
will, I trust, receive the approval of the government. The 
latter consideration also prompted the convention for a tempo- 
rary cessation of hostilities. Though scarcely warranted by 
my instructions, yet the change of affairs since those instruc- 
tions were issued seemed to warrant this course. I beg to be 
advised, as early as practicable, whether I have met the views 
of the government in these particulars. 

I regret to report that Captain Williams, topographical engi- 
neers, and Lieut. Terrett, 1st infantry, have died of the wounds 
received in the engagement of the 21st. Captain Gathir, 7th 
infantry, was wounded (not badly) on the 23d. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Maj. Gen. U. S. Army, commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 



Head-Quarters, Monterey. 
September 23, 1846, at 9 o'clock at night. 

General : As I have made all the defence of which I believe 
this city capable, I have fulfilled my obligation, and done all 
required by that military honour which, to a certain degree, is 
common to all the armies of the civilized world ; and, as a 
continuation of the defence would only bring upon the popula- 
tion distresses to which they have already been sufficiently 
subjected by the evils consequent upon war, and believing that 
the American government will appreciate these sentiments, I 
propose to your excellency to evacuate the city and citadel, 
taking with me the personnel and materiel of war which is left, 
and under the assurance that no prosecution shall be undertaken 
against the citizens who have taken part in the defence. 
21 



240 TAYLOR'S ANSWER TO AMPUDIA. 

Be pleased to accept the assurance of my most distinguished 
consideration. 

Pedro de Ampudia. 

Senor Don Z. Tatloh, 

General-in-chief of the American Army. 



Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Camp before Monterey, September 24, 1846, 7 o'clock, A. M. 

Sir: Your communication, bearing date at 9 o'clock, P. M. 
on the 23d, has just been received by the hands of Colonel . 
Moreno. 

In answer to your proposition to evacuate the city and fort, 
with all the personnel and materiel of war, I have to state that 
my duty compels me to decline acceding to it. A complete 
surrender of the town and garrison, the latter as prisoners of 
•war, is now demanded. But such surrender will be upon 
terms ; and the gallant defence of the place, creditable alike to 
the Mexican troops and nation, will prompt me to make those 
terms as liberal as possible. The garrison will be allowed, at 
your option, after laying down its arms, to retire to the interior, 
on condition of not serving again during the war, or until 
regularly exchanged. I need hardly say that the rights of non- 
combatants will be respected. 

An answer to this communication is required by 12 o'clock. 
If you assent to an accommodation, an officer will be despatched 
at once, under instructions to arrange the conditions. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Major Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

8enor Don Petjro dk Ampudia, 
General-in-chief, Monterey. 



GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF NEW LEON. 

Your excellency having resolved to occupy this place by 
force of arms, and the Mexican general-in-chief to defend it 



A 



THE GOVERNOR'S REQUEST OF TAYLOR. 241 

at any cost, as required by his honour and duty, thousands of 
victims, who, from their poverty and want of means, find them- 
selves still upon the theatre of war, and who would be use- 
lessly sacrificed, claim the rights which in all times and in all 
countries humanity holds sacred. 

As Governor of this State, and as the legitimate representa- 
tive of the people thereof, I now address your excellency ; and 
I hope, from your regard to humanity, and from your sense of 
the rules which govern civilized nations, that whatever may be 
the result of the present struggle, you will give orders that the 
resident families shall be respected, or will concede a sufficient 
time for them to remove from this capital. 

I have the honour to salute your excellency, general-in-chief 
of the army of occupation of the United States, and to assure 
you of my highest consideration. 

God and liberty! Monterey, September 23, 1846, 8 o'clock 
in the morning. 

Francisco de P. Morales. 

To the General-in-chief of the 

Army of Occupation of the United States. 



I 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 

Camp near Monterey, Oct. 9, 1846. 

Sir : I have now the honour to submit a detailed report of 
the recent operations before Monterey, resulting in the capitu- 
lation of that city. 

The information received on the route from Seralvo, and 
particularly the continual appearance in our front of the Mexi- 
can cavalry, which had a slight skirmish with our advance at 
the village of Ramas, induced the belief, as we approached 
Monterey, that the enemy would defend that place. Upon 
reaching the neighbourhood of the city, on the morning of the 
19th of September, this belief was fully confirmed. It was as- 
certained that he occupied the town in force ; that a large work 
had been constructed commanding all the northern approaches ; 
and that the Bishop's Palace, and some heights in its vicinity 
near the Saltillo road, had also been fortified and occupied 



242 Taylor's detailed report. 

with troops and artillery. It was known, from information 
previously received, that the eastern approaches were com- 
manded by several small works in the lower edge of the city. 

The configuration of the heights and gorges in the direction 
of the Saltillo road, as visible from the point attained by our 
advance on the morning of the 19th, led me to suspect that it 
was practicable to turn all the works in that direction, and thus 
cut the enemy's line of communication. After establishing my 
camp at the "Walnut Springs," three miles from Monterey, 
the .nearest suitable position, it was, accordingly, my first care 
to order a close reconnoissance of the ground in question, 
which was executed on the evening of the 19th by the engi- 
neer officers, under the direction of Major Mansfield. A re- 
connoissance of the eastern approaches was at the same time 
made by Captain Williams, topographical engineer. The ex- 
amination made by Major Mansfield proved the entire practi- 
cability of throwing forward a column to the Saltillo road, and 
thus turning the position of the enemy. Deeming this to be 
an operation of essential importance, orders were given to 
Brevet Brig. Gen. Worth, commanding the second division, 
to march with his command on the 20th; to turn the hill of 
the Bishop's Palace ; to occupy a position on the Saltillo road, 
and to carry the enemy's detached works in that quarter, where 
practicable. The first regiment of Texas mounted volunteers, 
under command of Col. Hays, was associated with the second 
division on this service. Capt. Sanders, engineers, and Lieut. 
Meade, topographical engineers, were also ordered to report to 
Gen. Worth for duty with his column. 

At 2 o'clock, P. M., on the 20th, the second division took 
up its march. It was soon discovered, by officers who were 
reconnoitring the town, and communicated to Gen. Worth, 
that its movement had been perceived, and that the enemy 
was throwing reinforcements towards the Bishop's Palace and 
the height which commands it. To divert his attention as far 
as practicable, the first division, under Brigadier General 
Twiggs, and field division of volunteers, under Major General 
Butler, were displayed in front of the town until dark. Arrange- 



DETAILED REPORT CONTINUED. 243 

ments were made at the same time to place in battery during 
the night, at a suitable distance from the enemy's main work, 
the citadel, two twenty-four-pounder howitzers, and a ten-inch 
mortar, with a view to open a lire on the following day, when 
I proposed to make a diversion in favour of General Worth's 
movement. The 4th infantry covered this battery during the ( 
night. Gen. Worth had, in the mean time, reached and occu- 
pied for the night a defensive position just without range of a 
battery above the Bishop's Palace, having made a reconnais- 
sance as far as the Saltilio road. 

Before proceeding to report the operations of the 21st and 
following days, I beg leave to state that I shall mention in de- 
tail only those which .were conducted against the eastern ex- 
tremity of the city, or elsewhere, under my immediate direc- 
tion, referring you for the particulars of Gen. Worth's opera- 
tions, which were entirely detached, to his own full report 
transmitted herewith. 

Early on the morning of the 21st, I received a note from 
General Worth, written at half-past 9 o'clock the night before, 
suggesting what I had already intended, a strong diversion 
against the centre and left of the town to favour his enterprize 
against the heights in rear. The infantry and artillery of 
the first division, and the field division of volunteers, were or- 
dered under arms and took the direction of the city, leaving 
one company of each regiment as a camp guard. The 2d dra- 
goons, under Lieut. Col. May, and Col. Wood's regiment of 
Texas mounted volunteers, under the immediate direction of 
General Henderson, were directed to the right to support Gen. 
Worth, if necessary, and to make an impression, if practicable, 
upon the upper quarter of the city. Upon approaching the 
mortar battery, the 1st and 3d regiments of infantry and batta- 
lion of Baltimore and Washington volunteers, with Captain 
Bragg's field battery — the whole under the command of Lieut. 
Col. Garland — were directed towards the lower part of the 
town, with orders to make a strong demonstration, and carry 
one of the enemy's advanced works, if it could be done with- 
out too heavy loss. Major Mansfield, engineers, and Captain 
21* 



244 DERAILED REPORT CONTINUED. 

Williams and Lieut* Pope, topographical engineers, accompa- - 
nied this column, Major Mansfield being charged with its di- 
rection, and the designation of points of attack. In the mean 
time the mortar, served by Capt. Ramsay, of the ordnance, 
and the howitzer battery under Capt. Webster, 1st artillery, 
had opened their fire upon the citadel, which was deliberately 
sustained, and answered from the work. Gen. Butler's divi- 
sion had now taken up a position in rear of this battery, when 
the- discharges of artillery, mingled finally with a rapid fire of 
small arms, showed that Lieut. Garland's command had become 
warmly engaged. I now deemed it necessary to support this 
attack, and accordingly ordered the 4th infantry and three regi- 
ments of General Butler's division to march at once by the left 
flank in the direction of the advanced work at the lower ex- 
tremity of the town, leaving one regiment (1st Kentucky) to 
cover the mortar and howitzer battery. By some mistake two 
companies of the 4th infantry did not receive this order, and 
.consequently did not join the advance companies until some 
time afterwards. 

Lieut. Col. Garland's command had approached the town in 
? direction to the right of the advanced work (No. 1.) at the 
north-eastern angle of the city, and the engineer officer, covered 
by skirmishers, had succeeded in entering the suburbs and 
gaining cover. The remainder of this command now advanced 
and entered the town under a heavy fire of artillery from the 
citadel and the works on the left, and of musketry from the 
houses and small works in front. A movement to the right 
was attempted with a view to gain the rear of No. 1, and carry 
that work, but the troops were so much exposed to a fire which 
they could not effectually return, and had already sustained 
such severe loss, particularly in officers, that it was deemed 
best to withdraw them to a more secure position. Captain 
Backus, 1st infantry, however, with a portion of his own and 
other companies, had gained the roof of a tannery, which 
looked directly into the gorge of No. 1, and from which he 
poured a most destructive fire into that work and upon the 
strong building in its rear. This fire happily coincided in point 



DETAILED REPORT CONTINUED. 245 

of time with the advance of a portion of the volunteer division 
upon No. 1, and contributed largely to the fall of that strong 
and important work. 

The three regiments of the volunteer division, under the im- 
mediate command of Major General Butler, had in the mean 
time advanced in the direction of No. 1. The leading brigade, 
under Brigadier General Quitman, continued its advance upon 
that work, preceded by three companies of the 4th infantry, 
while General Butler, with the first Ohio regiment, entered the 
town to the right. The companies of the 4th infantry had ad- 
vanced within short range of the work, when they were received 
by a fire that almost, in one moment, struck down one-third 
of the officers and men, and rendered it necessary to retire and 
effect a conjunction with the two other companies then advanc- 
ing. General Quitman's brigade, though suffering most se- 
verely, particularly in the Tennessef regiment, continued its 
advance, and finally carried the wo 1 k in handsome style, as 
well as the strong building in its reai . Five pieces of artillery, 
a considerable supply of ammunition, and thirty prisoners, in- 
cluding three officers, fell into their hands. Major General 
Butler, with the 1st Ohio regiment, after entering the edge of 
the town, discovered that nothing was to be accomplished in 
his front, and at this point, yielding to the suggestions of seve- 
ral officers, I ordered a retrograde movement ; but learning 
almost immediately, from one of my staff, that the battery No. 
1. was in our possession, the order was countermanded : and 
I determined to hold the battery and defences already gained. 
General Butler with the 1st Ohio regiment, then entered the 
town at a point farther to the left, and marched in the direc- 
tion of the battery No. 2. While making an examination, 
with a view to ascertain the possibility of carrying this second 
work by storm, the general was wounded and soon after com- 
pelled to quit the field. As the strength of No. 2, and the 
heavy musketry fire flanking the approach, rendered it impos- 
sible to carry it without great loss, the 1st Ohio regiment was 
withdrawn from the town. 

Fragments of the various regimen s engaged were now under 



% 
246 DETAILED REPORT CONTINUED. 

cover of the captured battery, and some buildings in its front, 
and on the right. The field batteries of Captains Bragg and 
Ridgely were also partially covered by the battery. An inces- 
sant fire was kept up on this position from battery No. 2, and 
other works on its right, and from the citadel on all our ap- 
proaches. General Twiggs, though quite unwell, joined me 
at this point, and was instrumental in causing the artillery cap- 
tured from the enemy to be placed in battery, and served by 
Captain Ridgely against No. 2, until the arrival of Captain 
Webster's howitzer battery, which took its place. In the mean 
time, I directed such men as could be collected of the 1st, 3d, 
and 4th regiments, and Baltimore battalion, to enter the town, 
penetrating to the right, and carry the 2d battery if possible. 
This command, under Lieut. Col. Garland, advanced beyond 
the bridge " Purisima," when, finding it impracticable to gain 
the rear of the 2d battery, a portion of it sustained themselves 
for some time in that advanced position ; but as no permanent 
impression could be made at that point, and the main object 
of the general operation had been effected, the command, in- 
cluding a section of Captain Ridgely's battery, which had 
joined it, was withdrawn to battery No. 1. During the absence 
of this column, a demonstration of cavalry was reported in the 
direction of the citadel. Captain Bragg, who was at hand, 
immediately galloped with his battery to a suitable position, 
from which a few discharges effectually dispersed the enemy. 
Captain Miller, 1st Infantry, was despatched with a mixed com- 
mand to support the battery on this service. The enemy's 
lancers had previously charged upon the Ohio and a part of the 
Mississippi regiment, near some fields at a distance from the 
edge of the town, and had been repulsed with a considerable 
loss. A demonstration of cavalry on the opposite side of the 
river was also dispersed in the course of the afternoon by Cap- 
tain Ridgely's battery, and the squadrons returned to the city. 
At the approach of evening, all the troops that had been en- 
gaged were ordered back to camp, except Captain Ridgely's 
battery, and the regular infantry of the first division, who were 
detailed as a guard for the works during the night, under com- 



DETAILED REPORT CONTINUED. 247 

mand of Lieut. Col. Garland. One battalion of the 1st Ken- 
tucky regiment was ordered to reinforce this command. In- 
trenching tools were procured, and additional strength was 
given to the works, and protection to the men, by working 
parties during the night, under the direction of Lieut. Scarritt, 
engineers. 

The main object proposed in the morning had been effected. 
A powerful diversion had been made to favour the operations 
of the 2d division, one of the enemy's advanced works had 
been carried, and we now had a strong foot-hold in the town. 
But this had not been accomplished without a heavy loss, em- 
bracing some of our gallant and promising officers. Captain 
Williams, topographical engineers, Lieuts. Terrett and Dil- 
worth, 1st infantry, Lieut. Woods, 2d infantry, Capts* Morris 
and Field, Bvt. Major Barbour, Lieuts. Irwin and Hazlett, 3d 
infantry, Lieut. Hoskins, 4th infantry, Lieut. Col. Watson, Bal- 
timore battalion, Capt. Allen and Lieut. Putman, Tennessee 
regiment, and Lieut. Hett, Ohio regiment, were killed, or have 
since died of wounds received in this engagement, while the 
number and rank of the officers wounded gives additional proof 
of the obstinacy of the contest, and the good conduct of our 
troops. The number of killed and wounded incident to the 
operations in the lower part of the city on the 21st is 394. • 

Early in the morning of this day, (21st,) the advance of the 
2d division had encountered the enemy in force, and after a 
brief but sharp corilict, repulsed him with heavy loss. Gen. 
Worth then succeeded in gaining a position on the Saltillo 
road, thus cutting the enemy's line of communication. From 
this position the two heights south of the Saltillo road were 
carried in succession, and the gun taken in one of them turned 
upon the Bishop's Palace. These important successes were 
fortunately obtained with comparatively small loss ; Captain 
McKavett, 8th infantry, being the only officer killed. 

The 22d day of September passed without any active opera 
tions in the lower part of the city. The citadel and othei 
works continued to fire at parties exposed to their range, and 
at the work now occupied by our troops. The guard left in it 



248 DETAILED REPORT CONTINUED. 

the preceding night, except Capt. Ridgely's company, was re- 
lieved at mid-day by Gen. Quitman's brigade, Capt. Bragg's 
battery was thrown under cover in front of the town to repel 
any demonstration of cavalry in that quarter. At dawn of day, 
the height above the Bishop's Palace was carried, and soon 
after meridian, the Palace itself was taken and its guns turned 
upon the fugitive garrison. The object for which the 2d divi- 
sion was detached had thus been completely accomplished, and 
I felt confident that with a strong force occupying the road and 
heights in his rear, and a good position below the city in our 
possession, the enemy could not possibly maintain the town. 

During the night of the 22d, the enemy evacuated nearly all 
his defences in the lower part of the city. This was reported 
to me early in the morning of the 23d by Gen. Quitman, who . 
had already meditated an assault upon those works. I imme- 
diately sent instructions to that officer, leaving it to his discre- 
tion to enter the city, covering his men by the houses and 
walls, and advance carefully as far as he might deem prudent. 
After ordering the remainder of the troops as a reserve, under 
the orders of Brigadier General Twiggs, I repaired to the 
abandoned works, and discovered that a portion of Gen. Quit- 
man's brigade had entered the town, and were successfully 
forcing their way towards the principal plaza. I then ordered up 
the 2d regiment of Texas mounted volunteers, who entered the 
city, dismounted, and, under the immediate orders of Gen. 
Henderson, co-operated with Gen. Quitman's brigade. Capt. 
Bragg's battery was also ordered up, supported by the 3d in- 
fantry ; and after firing for some time at the cathedral, a por- 
tion of it was likewise thrown into the city. Our troops ad- 
vanced from house to house, and from square to square, until 
they reached a street but one square in rear of the principal 
plaza, in and near which the enemy's force was mainly concen- 
trated. This advance was conducted vigorously but with due 
caution, and although destructive to the enemy, was attended 
with but small loss on our part. Captain Ridgely, in the mean 
time, had served a captured piece in battery No. 1, against the 
city, until the advance of our men rendered it imprudent to fire 

• 



t 

DETAILED REPORT CONTINUED. 249 

in the direction of the Cathedral. I was now satisfied that we 
could operate successfully in the city, and that the enemy had 
retired from the lower portion of it to make a stand behind his 
barricades. As Gen. Quitman's brigade had been on duty the 
previous night, I determined to withdraw the troops to the 
evacuated works, and concert with Gen. Worth a combined 
attack upon the town. The troops accordingly fell back de- 
liberately, in good order, and resumed their original positions, 
General Quitman's brigade being relieved after nightfall by 
that of General Hamer. On my return to camp, I met an offi- 
cer with the intelligence that General Worth, induced by the 
firing in the lower part of the city, was about making an attack 
at the upper extremity, which had also been evacuated by the 
enemy to a considerable distance. I regretted that this infor- 
mation had not reached me before leaving the city, but still 
deemed it inexpedient to change my orders, and accordingly 
returned to the camp. A note from Gen. Worth, written at 
eleven o'clock, P. M., informed me that he had advanced to 
within a short distance of the principal plaza, and that the 
mortar (which had been sent to his division in the morning) was 
doing good execution within effective range of the enemy's 
position. 

Desiring to make no further attempt upon the city without 
complete concert as to the lines and mode of approach, I in- 
structed that officer to suspend his advance until I could have 
an interview with him on the following morning at his head- 
quarters. 

Early on the morning of the 24th, I received, through 
Colonel Moreno, a communication from General Ampudia, 
proposing to evacuate the town ; which, with the answer, were 
forwarded with my first despatch. I arranged with Colonel 
Moreno a cessation of fire until twelve o'clock, at which hour 
I would receive the answer of the Mexican general at General 
Worth's head-quarters, to which I soon repaired. In the mean 
time, General Ampudia had signified to General Worth his 
desire for a personal interview with me, to which I acceded, 
and which finally resulted in a capitulation, placing the town 



250 DETAILED REPORT CONTINUED. 

and the material of war, with certain exceptions, in our posses- 
sion. A copy of that capitulation was transmitted with my 
first despatch. 

Upon occupying the city, it was discovered to be of great 
strength in itself, and to have its approaches carefully and 
strongly fortified. The town and works were armed with 
forty-two pieces of cannon, well supplied with ammunition, 
and manned with a force of at least 7000 troops of the line, 
and from 2000 to 3000 irregulars. The force under my orders 
before Monterey, as exhibited by the accompanying return, 
was 425 officers, and 6220 men. Our artillery consisted of 
one ten-inch mortar, two twenty-four-pounder howitzers, and 
four light field batteries of four guns each — the mortar being 
the only piece suitable to the operations of a siege. 

Our loss is twelve officers and one hundred and eight men 
killed ; thirty-one officers and three hundred and thirty-seven 
men wounded. That of the enemy is not known, but is be- 
lieved considerably to exceed our own. 

I take pleasure in bringing to the notice of the government 
the good conduct of the troops, both regulars and volunteers, 
which has been conspicuous throughout the operations. I am 
proud to bear testimony to their coolness and constancy in 
battle, and the cheerfulness with which they have submitted to 
exposure and privation. To the general officers commanding 
divisions — Major Generals Butler and Henderson, and Briga- 
dier Generals Twiggs and Worth — I must express my obliga- 
tions for the efficient aid which they have rendered in their re- 
spective commands. I was unfortunately deprived, early on 
the 21st, of the valuable services of Major General Butler, 
who was disabled by a wound received in the attack on the 
city. Major General Henderson, commanding the Texan volun- 
teers, has given me important aid in the organization of the 
command, and its subsequent operations. Brigadier General 
Twiggs rendered important services with his division, and as 
the second in command after Major General Butler was disabled, 
brigadier General Worth was intrusted with" an important de- 
tachment which rendered his operations independent of my 



♦ 



DETAILED REPORT CONTINUED. 251 

own. These operations were conducted with ability, and 
crowned with complete success. 

I desire also to notice Brigadier Generals Hamer and Quit- 
man, commanding brigades in General Butler's Division. Lieu- 
tenant Colonels Garland and Wilson, commanding brigades in 
General Twiggs' Division. Colonels Mitchell, Campbell, Davis 
and Wood, commanding the Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi, and 
2d Texas regiments, respectively, and Majors Lear, Allen, and 
Abercrombie, commanding the 3d, 4th, and 1st regiments of 
infantry ; all of whom served under my eye, and conducted ( 
their commands with coolness and gallantry against the enemy. 
Colonel Mitchell, Lieut. Col. McClung, Mississippi regiment, 
Major Lear, 3d infantry, and Major Alexander, Tennessee re- 
giment, were all severely wounded, as were Captain Lamotte, 
1st infantry, Lieut. Graham, 4th infantry, Adjutant Armstrong, 
Ohio regiment, Lieutenants Scudder and Allen, Tennessee re- 
giment, and Lieut. Howard, Mississippi regiment, while leading 
their men against the enemy's position, on the 21st and 23d. 
After the fall of Col. Mitchell, the command of the 1st Ohio 
regiment devolved upon Lieut. Col. Weller; that of the 3d 
infantry, after the fall of Major Lear, devolved in succession 
upon Capt. Bainbridge and Capt. Henry, the former being also 
wounded. The following named officers have been favourably 
noticed by their commanders: Lieut. Col. Anderson, and Ad- 
jutant Heiman, Tennessee regiment; Lieut. Col. McClung, 
Captains Cooper and Downing, Lieutenants 'Patterson, Cal- 
houn, Moore, Russell, and Cook, Mississippi regiment ; also 
Serjeant Major Hearlan, Mississippi regiment, and Major Price, 
and Capt. J. Smith, unattached, but serving with it. I beg 
leave also to call attention to the good conduct of Captain 
Johnston, Ohio regiment, and Lieut. Hooker, 1st artillery, 
serving on the staff of Gen. Hamer, and of Lieutenant Nichols, 
>2d artillery, on that of General Quitman. Captains Bragg and 
Ridgely seived with their batteries during the operations under 
my own observation, and in part under my immediate orders, 
and exhibited distinguished skill and gallantry. Captain Web- 
ster, 1st artillery, assisted by Lieutenants Donaldson and Bo- 



252 DETAILED REPORT CONTINUED. 

wen, rendered good service with the howitzer battery, which 
was much exposed to the enemy's fire on the 21st. 

From the nature of the operations, the 2d dragoons were 
not brought into action, but were usefully employed, under the 
direction of Lieut. Col. May, as escorts, and in keeping open 
our communications. The 1st Kentucky regiment was also 
prevented from participating in the action of the 21st, but 
rendered highly important services under Col. Ormsby, in 
covering the mortar battery, and holding in check the enemy's 
cavalry during the day. 

I have noticed above, the officers whose conduct either fell 
under my immediate eye, or is noticed only in minor reports 
which are not forwarded. For further mention of individuals, 
I beg leave to refer to the reports of division commanders 
herewith respectfully transmitted. I fully concur in their re- 
commendations, and desire that they be considered as a part 
of my own report. 

From the officers of my personal staff, and of the engineers, 
topographical engineers, and ordnance, associated with me, I 
have derived valuable and efficient assistance during the opera- 
tions. Col. Whiting, assistant quartermaster general, Colonels 
Croghan and Belknap, inspector generals, Major Bliss, assistant 
adjutant general, Captain Sibley, assistant quartermaster, Cap- 
tain Waggaman, commissary of subsistence, Captain Eaton 
and Lieut. Garnett, aids-de-camp, and Major Kirby and Van 
Buren, pay department, served near my person, and were ever 
prompt, in all situations, in the communication of my orders 
and instructions. I must express my particular obligations to 
Brevet Major Mansfield and Lieut. Scarritt, corps of engineers. 
They both rendered most important services in reconnoitring 
the enemy's positions, conducting troops in attack, and 
strengthening the works captured from the enemy. Major 
Mansfield, though wounded on the 21st, remained' on duty 
during that and the following day, until confined by his wound 
to camp. Capt. Williams, topographical engineers, to my 
great regret and the loss of the service, was mortally wounded 
while fearlessly exposing himself in the attack of the 21st. 



worth's detailed report. 253 

Lieut. Pope, of the same corps, was active and zealous through- 
out the operations. Major Munroe, chief of the artillery, 
Major Craig and Capt. Ramsay, of the ordnance, were assidu- 
ous in the performance of their proper duties. The former 
superintended their mortar service on the 22d, as particularly 
mentioned in the report of Gen. Worth, to which I also refer 
for the services of the engineer and topographical officers de- 
tached with the second division. 

Surgeon Craig, medical director, was actively employed in 
the important duties of his department, and the medical staff 
generally were unremitting in their attention to the numerous 
wounded — their duties with the regular regiments being ren- 
dered uncommonly arduous by the small number serving in the 
field. 

I respectfully enclose herewith, in addition to the reports of 
division commanders, a field return of the force before Mon- 
terey on the 21st of September — a return of killed, wounded, 
and missing during the operations — and two topographical 
sketches — one exhibiting all the movements around Monterey 
— the other on a large scale illustrating more particularly the 
operations in the lower quarter of the city — prepared respec- 
tively by Lieutenants Meade and Pope, topographical engineers. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Major Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 
The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C. 

In justice to the gallant officers and corps of General 
Worth's Division, the annexed extract from his report of hfis 
operations is given, in connection with that of the commander- 
in-chief. 

** When every officer and every soldier, regular and volun- 
teer, has, through a series of harassing and severe conflicts, in 
the valley and on the mountain, in the street and on the house- 
top, cheerfully, bravely, and successfully executed every sei- 
vice, and complied with every exaction of valour and patriotism, 
the task is as difficult as delicate to distinguish individuals ; 



254 OFFICERS DISTINGUISHED IN IT. 

and yet it will always happen, as it has always happened, in 
the varied scenes of battle and siege, that fortune presents to 
some those opportunities which all would have seized with 
gladness and avidity. It is my pleasing and grateful duty to 
present to the consideration of the general-in-chief, and through 
him to the government, the distinguished conduct of Brigaflier 
General Smith, (colonel of rifles ;) Brevet Lieutenant Colonel 
Childs, artillery battalion ; Colonel Hays, Texan riflemen ; Bre- 
vet Lieutenant Colonel Duncan, horse artillery ; and Captain 
C. F. Smith, 2d artillery, commanding light troops 1st brigade. 
"My thanks are also especially due to Lieutenant Colonel 
Staniford, 8th, (commanding 1st brigade;) Major Munroe, 
chief of artillery, (general staff;) Brevet Major Brown and Cap- 
tain J. R. Vinton, artillery battalion ; Captain J. B. Scott, ar- 
tillery battalion, (light troops;) Major Scott, commanding, and 
Captain Merrill, 5th ; Captains Miles, (commanding,) Holmes, 
and Ross, 7th infantry, and Captain Screvin, commanding 8th 
infantry ; to Lieutenant Colonel Walker, (captain of rifles ;) 
Major Chevalier and Captain McCulloch, of the Texan, and 
Captain Blanchard, of the Louisiana volunteers ; to Lieutenants 
Mackall, (commanding battery,) Roland, Martin, Hays, Irons, 
Clarke, and Curd, horse artillery ; Lieutenant Longstreet, com- 
manding light company 8th ; Lieutenant Ayres, artillery batta- 
lion, who was among the first in the assault upon the palace, 
and who secured the colours. Each of the officers named 
either headed special detachments, columns of attack, storming 
parties, or detached guns ; and all were conspicuous for con- 
duct and courage. My attention has been particularly directed, 
by General Smith, to the gallant conduct of Lieutenant Gard- 
ner, 7th infantry, during the assault upon the city ; on which 
occasion he threw himself in advance, and on the most exposed 
points, animating the men by his brave example. Particular 
attention has also been called to the Lieutenants Nicholls, 
(brothers,) Louisiana volunteers, as having highly distinguished 
themselves by personal daring and efficient service. The offi- 
cers of brigade and regimental stall' were conspicuous in the 
field, or in their particular departments. Lieutenants Hanson, 



OFFICERS KILLED AND WOUNDED. 255 

(commanding,) Vandorn, (aid-de-carap 7th ;) Lieutenant Ro- 
binson, 5th, (quartermaster's department,) on the staff* of Gene- 
ral Smith ; Lieutenant and Adjutant Clarke, 8th infantry, staff' 
1st brigade ; Lieutenants Benjamin, adjutant artillery battalion ; 
Peck, ordnance office, artillery battalion ; G. Deas, adjutant 5th, 
and Page, adjutant 7th infantry, are highly commended by their 
respective chiefs; to the justness of which I have the pleasure 
to add my personal observation. In common with the entire 
division, my particular thanks are tendered to Assistant^ Sur- 
geons Porter, (senior,) Byrne, Conrad, De Leon, and Roberts, 
(medical department,) who were ever at hand, in the close fight, 
promptly administering to the wounded and suffering soldier. 
To the officers of the staff, general and personal, more espe- 
cially associated with myself — honourable Colonel Balie Pey- 
ton, Louisiana troops, who did me the honour to serve as aid- 
de-camp ; Captain Sanders, military engineers ; Lieutenant 
Meade, topographical engineers ; Lieutenants E. Deas, Daniels, 
and Ripley, quartermaster's and commissary's staff, and Lieu- 
t tenants Pemberton, 4th artillery, and Wood, 8th infantry, my 
aids-de-camp — I have to express the greatest obligation. In 
such diversified operations, during the three days and nights, 
they were constantly in motion, performing every executive 
duty with zeal and intelligence, only surpassed by daring and 
courage in conflict. I beg to commend each to special con- 
sideration. 

" We have to lament the gallant Captains McKavett, 8th 
infantry, an officer of high merit, killed on, the 21st, and Gil- 
lespie, Texas volunteers, on the 22d. The latter eminently 
distinguished himself, while leading his brave company at the 
storming of the first height, and perished in seeking similar 
distinction on a second occasion. Captain Gatlin and Lieute- 
nant Potter, 7th, Lieutenant Russell, 5th, and Wainwright, 8th 
infantry, and Lieutenant R#ece, Texas riflemen, received hon- 
ourable (happily not mortal) wounds. Annexed is an accurate 
topographical sketch of the theatre of operations ; for which I 
am indebted, as in many other respects, to the intelligent zeal 
and gallantry of Lieutenant Meade, engineers. 
22* 



256 COMMENT ON THE ACTION. 

" The following non-commissioned officers are reported as 
having highly distinguished themselves : Serjeants Hazard, 4th, 
and Dilworth, 3d artillery ; Quartermaster Serjeant Henry, 7th 
infantry ; Cross, company C. ; Rounds, Bradford, (colour Ser- 
jeant,) and Wragg, company E. ; Bailey, company U. ; and 
Ballard, 7th infantry." 

Where few, if any, were found wanting, in the protracted, 
arduous, and singularly dangerous duty imposed on the troops 
who stormed Monterey, it is not possible, however grateful the 
task, to do historical justice to each individual. The reports 
of the commanders, already quoted, must therefore close the 
notice of personal merit, which shone forth on that memorable 
occasion — memorable not only in the annals of America, but 
in the records of modern warfare. A town, situated where 
nature pointed out security, protected on two sides by moun- 
tains, and on two others by a continuous series of fortresses; 
every house constructed as if defiance to enemies rather than 
shelter to friends had been intended ; every street walled up 
with immovable barriers ; heavy ordnance on every com- . 
manding elevation, and twelve thousand men in arms to defend 
every accessible point ; a town thus built and thus fortified, 
was in three days entered and possessed by six thousand as- 
sailants, two-thirds of them unused not only to battle, but even 
to the ordinary hardships of military life. Commentary cannot 
magnify the lustre of such an achievement. If it is right and 
reasonable to applaud actions, involving of necessity the inflic- 
tion of misery and the sacrifice of life, the capture of Monterey 
is one to command unqualified admiration. 

When General Ampudia's desire for a temporary cessation 
of the assault had been assented to, General Taylor, accom- 
panied by several officers, met him on the 24th of September, 
at a house designated for a conference. The Mexican com- 
mander there stated officially, that •ommissioners of the United 
States, appointed to treat with Mexico respecting the terms of 
a peace, had been received by the government of the latter 
country ; and further, that a change in that government having 
taken place, the orders under which he defended Monterey 



COMMISSION ON CAPITULATION. 257 

were no longer virtual. Under these circumstances he pro- 
fessed to desire the conference. A conversation between him 
and General Taylor ensued, when it was discovered that the 
views of Ampudia were wholly inadmissible, and that no set- 
tlement could probably be made without a further appeal to 
arms. 

At this stage of the proceedings, it was suggested on the 
part of Ampudia's friends, that a mixed commission should be 
appointed to consider the terms of capitulation ; which being 
acceded to, General Taylor appointed General Worth, General 
J. P. Henderson, and Colonel Jefferson Davis, on his behalf; 
and General Ampudia appointed General J. Ma. Ortega, Gen- 
eral P. Raguena, and Senor M. Ma. Llano, the governor of 
the city. The instructions of General Taylor to the United 
States' commissioners were embodied by them in the following 
articles : 

Copy of demand by the United Stated Commissioners. 

» I. As the legitimate result of the operations before this 
place, and the present position of the contending armies, we 
demand the surrender of the town, the arms and munitions of 
war, and all other public property within the place. 

" II. That the Mexican armed force retire beyond the Rin- 
conada, Linares, and San Fernando, on the coast. 

"III. The commanding general of the army of the United 
States agrees that the Mexican officers reserve their side arms 
and private baggage; and the troops be allowed to retire 
under their officers without parole, a reasonable time being 
allowed to withdraw the forces: 

"IV. The immediate delivery of the main work, now occu- 
pied, to the army of the United States. 

" V. To avoid collisions, and for mutual convenience, that 
the troops of the United States shall not occupy the town until 
the Mexican forces have been withdrawn, except for hospital 
purposes, store-houses, &c. 

"VI. The commanding general of the United States agrees 
not to advance beyond the line specified in the second section 



258 PROCEEDINGS OF COMMISSIONERS. 

before the expiration of eight weeks, or until the respective 
governments can be heard from." 

The subsequent proceedings of the commissioners are quoted 
from the minutes of them, made, and afterwards published by 
Colonel Davis, one of the commissioners. He says : — 

" The terms of the demand were refused by the Mexican 
commissioners, who drew up a counter proposition, of which 
I only recollect that it contained a permission to the Mexican 
forces to retire with their arms. This was urged as a matter 
of soldierly pride, and as an ordinary courtesy. We had 
reached the limit of our instructions, and the commission rose 
to report the disagreement. 

"Upon returning to the reception room, after the fact had 
been announced that the commissioners could not agree upon 
terms, General Ampudia entered at length upon the question, 
treating the point of disagreement as one which involved the 
honour of his country, spoke of his desire for a settlement 
without further bloodshed, and said he did not care about the 
pieces of artillery which he had at the place. General Taylor 
responded to the wish to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. It was 
agreed the commission should reassemble, and we were in- 
structed to concede the small arms ; and I supposed there 
would be no question about the artillery. The Mexican com- 
missioners now urged that, as all other arms had been recog- 
nised, it would be discreditable to the artillery if required to 
march out without any thing to represent their arm, and stated, 
in answer to an inquiry, that they had a battery of light artil- 
lery, manoeuvred and equipped as such. The commission 
again rose, and reported the disagreement on the point of 
artillery. 

"General Taylor hearing that more was demanded than the 
middle ground, upon which, in a spirit of generosity, he had 
agreed to place the capitulation, announced the conference 
at an end ; and rose in a manner which showed his determina- 
tion to talk no more. As he crossed the room to leave it, one 
of the Mexican commissioners addressed him, and some con- 



PROCEEDINGS OF COMMISSIONERS. 259 

versation which I did not hear ensued. General Worth asked 
permission of General Taylor, and addressed some remarks to 
General Ampudia, the spirit of which was that he had mani- 
fested throughout the negotiation, viz : generosity and leniency, 
and a desire to spare the further effusion of blood. The com- 
mission reassembled, and the points of capitulation were agreed 
upon. After a short recess we again repaired to the room in 
which we had parted from the Mexican commissioners ; they 
were tardy in joining us, and slow in executing the instrument 
of capitulation. The seventh, eighth, and ninth articles were 
added during this session. At a late hour the English original 
was handed to General Taylor for his examination ; the Span- 
ish original having been sent to General Ampudia. General 
Taylor signed and delivered to me the instrument as it was 
submitted to him, and I returned to receive the Spanish copy 
with the signature of General Ampudia, and send that having 
General Taylor's signature, that each general might counter- 
sign the original to be retained by the other. General Am- 
pudia did not sign the instrument as was expected, but came 
himself to meet the commissioners. He raised many points 
which had been settled, and evinced a disposition to make the 
Spanish differ in essential points from the English instrument. 
General Worth was absent. Finally he was required to sign 
the instrument prepared for his own commissioners, and the 
English original was left with him that he might have it trans- 
lated, (which he promised to do that night,) and be ready the 
next morning with a Spanish duplicate of the English instru- 
ment left with him. By this means the two instruments would 
be made to correspond, and he be compelled to admit his 
knowledge of the contents of the English original before he 
signed it. 

"The next morning the commission again met, again the at- 
tempt was made, as had been often done before by solicitation, 
to gain some grant in addition to the compact. Thus we had, 
at their request, adopted the word capitulation in lieu of sur- 
render ; they now wished to substitute stipulation for capitula- 
tion. It finally became necessary to make a peremptory de- 
mand for the immediate signing of the English instrument by 



260 TERMS OF CAPITULATION. 

General Ampudia, and the literal translation (now perfected) 
by the commissioners and their general. The Spanish instru- 
ment first s : gned by General Ampudia was destroyed in pre- 
sence of his commissioners ; the translation of our own instru- 
ment was countersigned by General Taylor, and delivered. 
The agreement was complete, and it only remained to execute 
the terms." 

This agreement, signed bv the commissioners, was in the fol- 
lowing form : 

Terms of capitulation of the city of Monterey, the capital of 
Nueva Leon, agreed upon by the undersigned commissioners, 
to wit: General Worth, of the United States army, General 
Henderson, of the Texas volunteers, and Colonel Davis, of 
the Mississippi riflemen, on the part of Major General Taylor, 
commanding-in-chief the United States forces, and General 
Requena, and General Ortega, of the army of Mexico, and 
Senor Manuel M. Llano, governor of Nueva Leon, on the part 
of Senor General Don Pedro Ampudia, commanding-in-chief 
the army of the north of Mexico. 

Art. 1. As the legitimate result of the operations before this 
place, and the present position of the contending armies, it is 
agreed that the city, the fortifications, cannon, the munitions 
of war, and all other public property, with the under-mentioned 
exceptions, be surrendered to the commanding general of the 
United States forces now at Monterey. 

Art. 2. That the Mexican forces be allowed to retain the 
following arms, to wit : the commissioned officers their side 
arms, the infantry their arms and accoutrements, the cavalry 
their arms and accoutrements, the artillery one field battery, 
not to exceed six pieces, with twenty-one rounds of ammuni- 
tion. 

Art. 3. That the Mexican armed forces retire within seven 
clays from this date, beyond the line formed by the pass of the 
Rinconada, the city of Linares and San Fernando de Presas. 

Art. 4. That the citadel at Monterey be evacuated by the 
Mexican, and occupied by the American forces, to-morrow 
morning at 10 o'clock. 

Art. 5. To avoid collisions, and for mutual convenience, 



EVACUATION OF THE CITY. 2G1 

that the troops of the United States will not occupy die city 
until the Mexican forces have withdrawn, except for hospital 
and storage purposes. 

Art. 6. That the forces of the United States will not ad- 
vance beyond the line specified in the 2d [3d] article, before 
the expiration of eight weeks, or until the orders or instructions 
of the respective governments cajsj be received. 

Art. 7. That the public property to be delivered shall be 
turned over and received by officers appointed by the com- 
manding generals of the two armies. 

Art. S. That all doubts as to ihe meaning of any of the 
preceding articles shall be solved by an equitable con- 
struction, and on principles of liberality to the retiring array* 

Art. 9. That the Mexican flag, when struck at the citadel, 
may be saluted by its own battery. 

Done at Monterey, September 24, 1846. 

These articles were signed by the commissioners already 
named. 

As these terms gave rise to much comment at the time, and 
exposed General Taylor to reproach in certain quarters, the 
grounds on which he admitted them, seemingly too lenient to 
the enemy, will be considered in a future chapter. The evi- 
dence is conclusive that his justice, prudence, and humanity 
were, in this instance, worthy of his energy and courage. 

In accordance with the terms of the capitulation, the Mexican 
army evacuated Monterey. The movement was made by di- 
visions on the 26th, the 27th, and the 28th of September. 
Ampudia, in a Proclamation announcing the fact, stated that he 
had "suffered great scarcity of ammunition and provisions." 
The ammunition of all kinds, found by General Taylor in Mon- 
terey, was superabundant, — and the misrepresentation of the 
fact by Ampudia, proves not only his disregard of truth, but 
his recklessness of infamy. 

The following is a recapitulation, from the official report, 
of the killed, wounded, and missing, — a sad proof of the cost 
of our triumph before Monterey. 



262 



LIST OF KILLED AND WOUNDED. 



KILLED AND WOUNDED AT THE SIEGE OF MONTEREY. 

KILLED. WODNDED. 



9 .. 47 



General Twiggs', 
Second Regiment Dragoons 

First Infantry 2 

Second Infantry 1 

Third Infantry 5 

Fourth Infantry 2 

Third Artillery 

Light Artillery 

Baltimore Battalion 

Captain Shriver's Com- ~> 
pany of Texas Vol'rs. $ 

[Killed 63, wounded 127.] 

General Worth's. 

Artillery 

Fifth Infantry 

Seventh Infantry 

Eighth Infantry 

Phoenix Company of Lou- "> 

isiana Volunteers. y 
Colonel Hays' Regiment 7 

of Texas Volunteers. $ 

[Killed 39, wounded 41.] . . 

General Butler's. 
General Commanding .... 

Kentucky Regiment 

Ohio Regiment 

Ten riessee Regiment 

Mississippi Regiment 

Colonel Wood's Texas 
Rangers. 



[Killed 56, wounded 224.] 
Grand total 13 . 



E 


C 










& 


60 


1 


1 






% 


ft 


(c 







£ 



4 

14 



14 
11 
4 



9 

27 

31 

23 

9 

7 



106 



12 



25 .. 1 



19 



15 

27 
9 



72 



53 
68 



125 



17 



17 



4 

17 

"21 



5 

32 
75 
47 



Grand total killed 
Wounded 



Killed and wounded 
Missing 



16 .. 


208 


16 .. 


246 


158 




392 




550 




11 





Grand total, killed, wounded, and missing 561 



OCCUPATION OF MONTEREY. 263 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Occupation of the City by Worth's Division — Encampment of Butler's and 

Twiggs' Divisions Consideration of the Terms of Capitulation — Implied 

Censure by Congress of the Terms — Defence of the same — Jefferson Davis' 
Views regarding the Capitulation — Taylor's Letter to the Adjutant General, 

justifying it Private Letter on the same Subject, and on his past Operations 

and future Plans — Concluding Remarks. 

As soon as the Mexican army had evacuated Monterey, 
General Taylor quartered General Worth's Division in it, and 
continued the two other divisions of his army at the grove of 
San Domingo, the only woodland in the neighbourhood of the 
city. The wounded were duly cared for, and all who had 
shared the labours and dangers of the siege enjoyed a period 
of comparative repose. Immediate measures, however, were 
adopted, to restore and improve the defences of the city, and 
to be prepared for future active operations if the hostilities 
should be renewed. Before the recital of General Taylor's 
subsequent movements is commenced, it is proper to recur to 
the terms of the capitulation. A portion of his own troops 
was undoubtedly at the moment disappointed, on seeing the 
Mexican army departing, with all the parade of music, ban- 
ners, and arms, when it was believed to be wholly at the mercy 
of the victors. Time and reflection dissipated this feeling, 
which had never interfered with the respect or confidence 
with which Taylor had previously inspired his men. But con- 
demnation of his policy was seriously avowed in a quarter, 
which affected his position before the country. When the 
news of the convention of Monterey was received at Wash- 
ington, it found little favour with the government, or with a 
portion of the administration party in Congress. When a re- 
solution of thanks to General Taylor, and the army under his 
command, for their gallantry in the capture of Monterey, was 
under consideration, a proviso was offered and finally adopted, 
in these words : " That nothing herein contained shall be con- 
strued into an approbation of the terms of the capitulation of 
Monterey." The friends of General Taylor contended that 
23 



264 TERMS OF CAPITULATION JUSTIFIED. 

this proviso was in effect a resolution of censure, and on this 
ground many of them refused to vote for the original resolu- 
tion of thanks. It becomes necessary to show how entirely 
unmerited was this deliberate exception to his conduct. The 
first proper testimony on this head is that of the commissioners 
who agreed to the Convention. They are men, whose intelli- 
gence, patriotism, and courage are above suspicion, and who 
would neither have counselled nor sanctioned any terms short 
of the most honourable and expedient which our army could 
have enforced. Colonel Davis, one of the commissioners, 
ably defended the convention in a document already quoted, 
and the grounds of his defence were fully approved by General 
Worth. That document takes briefly this view of the question : 

"It is demonstrable, from the position and known prowess 
of the two armies, that we could drive the enemy from the 
town ; but the town was untenable whilst the main fort (called 
the new citadel) remained in the hands of the enemy. Being 
without siege artillery or entrenching tools, we could only hope 
to carry this fort by storm, after a heavy loss from our army ; 
which, isolated in a hostile country, now numbered less than 
half the forces of the enemy. When all this had been achieved, 
what more would we have gained than by the capitulation ? 

"General Taylor's force was too small to invest the town. 
It was, therefore, always in the power of the enemy to retreat, 
bearing his light arms. Our army, poorly provided, and with 
very insufficient transportation, could not have overtaken, if 
they had pursued the flying enemy. Hence the conclusion, 
that as it was not in our power to capture the main body of 
the Mexican army, it is unreasonable to suppose their general 
would have surrendered at discretion. The moral effect of 
retiring under the capitulation was certainly greater than if the 
enemy had retired without our consent. By this course we 
secured the large supply of ammunition he had collected in 
Monterey — which, had the assault been continued, must have 
been exploded by our shells, as it was principally stored in the 
« Cathedral,' which, being supposed to be filled with troops, 
was the especial aim of our pieces. The destruction which 



taylor's defence of the terms. 265 

this explosion would have produced must have involved the 
advance of both divisions of our troops ; and I commend this 
to the contemplation of those whose arguments have been 
drawn from facts learned since the commissioners closed their 
negotiations." 

The correspondence of General Taylor further elucidates the 
respective positions of his own and the enemy's forces at the 
time of the capitulation. The armistice not having been ap- 
proved by the President, he was instructed to "give the requi- 
site notice, that the armistice was to cease at once, and that 
each party was at liberty to resume and prosecute hostilities 
without restriction." The reply to the letter enclosing this 
order is subjoined. It is addressed to the Adjutant General. 

"Camp near Monterey, November 8, 1846. 

" Sir : In reply to so much of the communication of the Secre- 
tary of War, as relates to the reasons which induced the con- 
vention resulting in the capitulation of Monterey, I have the 
honour to submit the following remarks. 

» The convention presents two distinct points : First, the 
permission granted the Mexican army to retire with their arms, 
o,c. Secondly, the temporary cessation of hostilities for the 
term of eight weeks. I shall remark on these in order. 

" The force with which I marched on Monterey was limited 
by causes beyond my control to about six thousand men. With 
this force, as every military man must admit, who has seen the 
ground, it was entirely impossible to invest Monterey so closely 
as to prevent the escape of the garrison. Although the main 
communication with the interior was in our possession, yet one 
route was open to the Mexicans throughout the operations, and 
could not be closed, as were also other minor tracks and passes 
through the mountains. Had we, therefore, insisted on more 
rigorous terms than those granted, the result would have been 
the escape of the body of the Mexican force, with the destruc 
tion of its artillery and magazines, our only advantage being 
the capture of a few prisoners of war, at the expense of valuable 
lives and much damage to the city. The consideration of hu- 



266 MILITARY POINTS IN THE QUESTION. 

inanity was present to my mind during the conference which 
led to the convention, and outweighed, in my judgment, the 
doubtful advantages to be gained by a resumption of the attack 
upon the town. This conclusion has been fully confirmed by 
an inspection of the enemy's 'position and means since the sur- 
render. It was discovered that his principal magazine, con- 
taining an immense amount of powder, was in the Cathedral, 
completely exposed to our shells from two directions. The 
explosion of this mass of powder, which must have ultimately 
resulted from a continuance of the bombardment, would have 
been infinitely disastrous, involving the destruction not only 
of Mexican troops, but of non-combatants, and even our own 
people, had we pressed the attack. 

" In regard to the temporary cessation of hostilities, the fact 
that we are not at this moment, within eleven days of the termi- 
nation of the period fixed by the convention, prepared to move 
forward in force, is a sufficient explanation of the military reasons 
which dictated this suspension of arms. It paralyzed the enemy 
during a period when, from the want of necessary means, we 
could not possibly move. 1 desire distinctly to state, and to 
call the attention of the authorities to the fact, that, with all 
diligence in breaking mules and setting up wagons, the first 
wagons in addition to our original train from Corpus Christi, 
(and but one hundred and twenty-five in number,) reached mj 
head-quarters on the same day with the secretary's communi- 
cation of October 13th, viz : the 2d inst. At the date of the 
surrender of Monterey, our force had not more than ten days' 
rations, and even now, with all our endeavours, we have not 
more than twenty-five. The task of fighting and beating 

THE ENEMY IS AMONG THE LEAST DIFFICULT THAT WE EN- 
COUNTER — the great question of supplies necessarily controls 
all the operations in a country like this. At the date of the 
convention, I could not of course have foreseen that the Depart- 
ment would direct an important detachment from my command 
without consulting me, or without waiting the result of the 
main operation under my orders. 

" I have touched the prominent military points involved in 



NATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS. 267 

the convention of Monterey. There were other considerations 
which weighed with the commissioners in framing, and with 
myself in approving the articles of the convention. In the 
conference with General Ampudia, I was distinctly told by him 
that he had invited it to spare the further effusion of blood, 
and because General Santa Anna had declared himself favorable 
to peace. I knew that our government had made propositions 
to that of Mexico to negotiate, and I deemed that the change 
of government in that country since my instructions, fully war- 
ranted me in entertaining considerations of policy. My grand 
motive in moving forward with very limited supplies had been 
to increase the inducements of the Mexican Government to ne- 
gotiate for peace. Whatever may be the actual views or dis- 
position of the Mexican rulers or of General Santa Anna, it is 
not unknown to the Government that I had the very best reason 
for believing the statement of General Ampudia to be true. It 
was my opinion at the time of the convention, and it has not 
been changed, that the liberal treatment of the Mexican army, 
and the suspension of arms, would exert none but a favorable 
influence in our behalf. 

» The result of the entire operation has been to throw the 
Mexican army back more than three hundred miles to the city 
of San Luis Potosi, and to open the country to us as far as we 
choose to penetrate it up to the same point. 

" It has been my purpose in this communication not so much 
to defend the convention from the censure which I deeply re- 
gret to find implied in the secretary's letter, as to show that it 
was not adopted without cogent reasons, most of which occur 
of themselves to the minds of all who are acquainted with the 
condition of things here. To that end I beg that it may be 
laid before the General-in-chief and Secretary of War." 

The nature of the assaults made on General Taylor, in con- 
sequence of the capitulation so ably and conclusively defended 
and justified in the foregoing official letter, induced one of his 
friends, whom he had privately addressed on the same subject, 
in connection with a general review of his operations, to per- 
23* 



268 r R 1 V A I B L E T T E II O C TAYLOR. 

mit the publication of a letter not intended for the public eye. 
That letter superadds such testimony in favour of his whole 
course, that being already before the world, it would be an 
ailectation injurious to his reputation to exclude it from these 
pages. It is the more interesting, therefore, as an unstudied 
and frank exposition of his conduct and motives, and of the 
difficulties which he encountered in the fulfilment of the mo- 
mentous duties imposed upon him. Portions of the letter were 
suppressed in the original publication. It is here given as it 
first appeared. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation or Invasion. 
Monterey, Mexico, Nov. 5, 1846. 

My Dear ******* 

Your very kind and acceptable letter of the 31st of August, 
******** reached me only a short time since 
for which I beg leave to tender to you my sincere thanks. [A 
few confidential remarks on certain public transactions are here 
omitted.] 

After considerable apparent delay on the part of the Quarter- 
master's Department, in getting steamboats into the Rio Grande 
adapted to its navigation, I succeeded, towards the latter part 
of August, in throwing forward to Camargo, (a town situated 
on the San Juan river, three miles from its junction with the 
Rio Grande, on the west side, nearly five hundred miles from 
Brazos Island by water, and two hundred by land, and one 
hundred and forty from this place,) a considerable depot of 
provisions, ordnance, ammunition, and forage, and then, having 
brought together an important portion of my command, I de- 
termined on moving on this place. Accordingly, after collect- 
ing 1700 pack mules, with their attendants and conductors, in 
the enemy's country, (the principal means of transportation for 
our provisions, baggage, &c.,) I left, on the 5th of September, 
to join my advance, which had preceded me a few days to Se- 
ralvo, a small village seventy-live miles on the route, which I 
did on the 9th, and, after waiting there a few days for some of 
the corps to get up, moved on and reached here on the 19th, 
with 6250 men — 2700 regulars, the balance volunteers. For 



THE CAPITULATION JUSTIFIED. 269 

what took place afterwards I must refer you to several reports, 
particularly to my detailed one of the 9th ult. I do not be- 
lieve the authorities at Washington are at all satisfied with my 
conduct in regard to the terms of capitulation entered into with 
the Mexican commander, which you no doubt have seen, as 
they have been made public through the official organ, and 
copied into various other newspapers. I have this moment 
received an answer (to my despatch announcing the surrender 
of Monterey, and the circumstances attending the same,) from 
the Secretary of War, stating that " it was regretted by the 
President that it was not advisable to insist on the terms I had 
proposed in my communication to the Mexican commander, in 
regard to giving up the city," — adding that " the circum- 
stances which dictated, no doubt justified the change." Al- 
though the terms of capitulation may be considered too liberal 
on our part by the President and his advisers, as well as by 
many others at a distance, particularly by those who do not 
understand the position which we occupied, (otherwise they 
might come to a different conclusion in regard to the matter,) 
yet, on due reflection, I see nothing to induce me to regret the 
course I pursued. 

The proposition on the part of General Ampudia, which had 
much to do in determining my course in the matter, was based 
on the ground that our government had proposed to his to set- 
tle existing difficulties by negotiation, (which I knew was the 
case, without knowing the result,) which was then under con- 
sideration by the proper authorities, and which he (General 
Ampudia,) had no doubt would result favourably, as the whole 
of his people were in favour of peace. If so, I considered the 
further effusion of blood not only unnecessary, but improper. 
Their force was also considerably larger than ours ; and, from 
the size and position of the place, we could not completely 
invest it ; so that the greater portion of their troops, if not the 
whole, had they been disposed to do so, could, any night, 
have abandoned the city at once, entered the mountain passes, 
and effected their retreat, do what we could ! Had we been 
put to the alternative of taking the place by storm, (which there 



270 taylor's views on the war. 

is no doubt we should have succeeded in doing,) we should, 
in all probability, have lost fifty or one hundred men in killed, 
besides the wounded, which I wished to avoid, as there ap- 
peared to be a prospect of peace, even if a distant one. I 
also wished to avoid the destruction of women and children, 
which must have been very great, had the storming process 
been resorted to. Besides, they had a very large and strong 
fortification, a short distance from the city, which, if carried 
with the bayonet, must have been taken at great sacrifice of 
life ; and, with our limited train of heavy or battering artillery, 
it would have required twenty or twenty-five days to take it by 
regular approaches. 

That they should have surrendered a place nearly as strong 
as Quebec, well fortified under the direction of skilful engi- 
neers, their works garnished with forty-two pieces of artillery, 
abundantly supplied with ammunition, garrisoned by 7000 re- 
gulars and 2000 irregular troops, in addition to some thousand 
citizens capable of, and no doubt actually, bearing arms, and 
aiding in its defence, to an opposing force of half their number, 
scantily supplied with provisions, and with a light train of ar- 
tillery, is among the unaccountable occurrences of the times. 

I am decidedly opposed to carrying the war beyond Saltillo 
in this direction, which place has been entirely abandoned by 
the Mexican forces, all of whom have been concentrated at 
San Luis Potosi ; and I shall lose no time in taking possession 
of the former as soon as the cessation of hostilities referred to 
expires, which I have notified the Mexican authorities will be 
the close on the 13th instant, by direction of the President of 
the United States. 

If we are (in the language of Mr. Polk and General Scott) 
under the necessity of " conquering a peace," and that by tak- 
ing the capital of the country, we must go to Vera Cruz, take 
that place, and then march on the city of Mexico. To do so 
in any other direction, I consider out of the question. But, 
admitting that we conquer a peace by doing so, say at the end 
of the next twelve months, will the amount of blood and 
treasure, which must be expended in doing so, be compensated 



HIS PLAN OF SECURING PEACE. 271 

by the same ? I think not — especially, if the country we sub- 
due is to be given up ; and I imagine there are but few indi- 
viduals in our country who think of annexing Mexico to the 
United States. 

I do not intend to carry on my operations (as previously 
stated) beyond Saltillo, deeming it next to impracticable to do 
so. It then becomes a question as to what is best to be done. 
It seems to me, the most judicious course to be pursued on 
our part, would be to take possession at once of the line we 
would accept by negotiation, extending from the Gulf of Mexico 
to the Pacific, and occupy the same, or keep what we already 
have possession of ; and that, with Tampico, (which I hope to 
take in the course of next month, or as soon as I can get the 
means of transportation,) will give us all on this side of the 
Sierra Madre, and as soon as I occupy Saltillo, will include 
six or seven states or provinces, thus holding Tampico, Vic- 
toria, Monterey, Saltillo, Monelova, Chihuahua, (which, I pre- 
sume, General Wool has possession of by this time) Santa Fe, 
and the Californias, and say to Mexico, " drive us from the 
country!" — throwing on her the responsibility and expense of 
carrying on offensive war — at the same time closely blockading 
all her ports on the Pacific and the Gulf. A course of this 
kind, if persevered in for a short time, would soon bring her 
to her proper senses, and compel her to sue for peace — pro- 
vided there is a government in the country sufficiently stable 
for us to treat with, which I fear will hardly be the case for 
many years to come. Without large reinforcements of volun- 
teers from the United States, say ten or fifteen thousand, (those 
previously sent out having already been greatly reduced by 
sickness and other casualties), I do not believe it would be 
advisable to march beyond Saltillo, which is more than two 
hundred miles beyond our depots on the Rio Grande, a very 
long line on which to keep up supplies (over a land route in a 
country like this) for a large force, and certain to be attended 
with an expense which it will be frightful to contemplate, when 
closely looked into. 

From Saltillo to San Luis Potosi, the next place of import- 



272 STATEMENT OF HIS DIFFICULTIES. 

ance on the road to the city of Mexico, is three hundred miles, 
one hundred and forty badly watered, where no supplies of 
any kind could be procured for men or horses. I have informed 
the war department that 20,000 efficient men would be neces- 
sary to insure success if we move on that place, (a city con- 
taining a population of 60,000, where the enemy could bring 
together and sustain, besides the citizens, an army of 50,000) 
a force which, I apprehend, will hardly be collected by us, 
with the train necessary to feed it, as well as to transport va- 
rious other supplies, particularly ordnance and munitions of 
war. 

In regard to the armistice, which would have expired by 
limitation in a few days, we lost nothing by it, as we could not 
movje even now, had the enemy continued to occupy Saltillo ; 
for, strange to say, the first wagon which has reached me since 
the declaration of war was on the 2d instant, the same day on 
which I received from Washington an acknowledgment of my 
despatch announcing the taking of Monterey ; and then I re- 
ceived only one hundred and twenty-five, so that I have been, 
since May last, completely crippled, and am still so, for want 
of transportation. After raking and scraping the country for 
miles around Camargo, collecting every pack mule and other 
means of transportation, I could bring here only 80,000 rations, 
(fifteen days' supply,) with a moderate supply of ordnance, 
ammunition, &c, to do which, all the corps had to leave behind 
a portion of their camp equipage necessary for their comfort, 
and, in some instances, among the volunteers, their personal 
baggage. I moved in such a way, and with such limited 
means, that, had I not succeeded, I should no doubt have been 
severely reprimanded, if nothing worse. I did so to sustain 

the administration, * * * * 

# # # * # 

Of the two regiments of mounted men from Tennessee and 
Kentucky, wlio left their respective states to join me, in June, 
the kilter has just reached Camargo ; the former had not got 
to Matamoros at the latest dates from there. Admitting that 
they will be as long in returning as in getting here, (to say no- 



POPULAR APPROBATION OF TAYLOR. 273 

thing of the time necessary to recruit their horses) and were to 
be discharged in time to reach their homes, they could serve in 
Mexico but a very short time. The foregoing remarks are not 
made with the view of finding fault with any one, but to point 
out the difficulties with which I have had to contend. 

Monterey, the capital of New Leon, is situated on the San 
Juan river, where it comes out of the mountains, the city (which 
contains a population of about twelve thousand) being in part 
surrounded by them, at the head of a large and beautiful val- 
ley. The houses are of stone, in the Moorish style, with fiat 
roofs, which, with their strongly enclosed yards and gardens, 
in high stone walls all looped for musketry, make them each a 
fortress within itself. It is the most important place in Northern 
Mexico, or on the east side of the Sierra Madre, commanding 
the only pass or road for carriages from this side, between it 
and the Gulf of Mexico, to the table lands of the Sierra, by 
or through which the city of Mexico can be reached. 

I much fear I shall have exhausted your patience, before you 
get half through this long and uninteresting letter. If so, you 
can only commit it to the flames, and think no more about it, 
as I write in great haste, besides being interrupted every five 
minutes ; so that you must make great allowances for blots, 
interlineations, and blunders, as well as want of connection in 
many parts of the same. 

Be so good as to present me most kindly to your excellent 
lady, and accept my sincere wishes for your continued health, 
prosperity, and fame. 

I remain, truly and sincerely, your friend, 

Z. Taylor. 

It is conceived that the foregoing correspondence thoroughly 
sustains General Taylor in the apparently liberal terms which 
he allowed Ampudia in the capitulation of Monterey. Public 
opinion sustained him from the first ; and, it is believed, that 
there are few now so bold as to except to his course. If so, 
it is the only instance in the many and arduous tasks which he 
has executed since the commencement of the Mexican war, 



274 taylor's forces at Monterey. 

which even his enemies could seize upon as worthy of exception. 
Tried in every emergency, he has been found equal to the trust 
reposed in him. So has the nation felt, so has it spoken, when, 
with one indignant voice, it crushed a suggestion that he 
should be superseded in the field of his many extraordinary 
trials and triumphs. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Taylor's Force after the Capitulation of Monterey — Reflections on his Course- 
Advices from Washington — Instructions regarding Supplies — Regarding an 
Expedition against the Coast — Further Correspondence — Taylor's Replies — 
Opinions regarding his own future Operations — Regarding the Force requisite 
to invest Vera Cruz — Assertion of his Rights as Commander — Answer to the 
Secretary respecting forced Supplies — General Wool's Entry into Monclova. 

The correspondence of General Taylor, given in the pre- 
ceding pages, for the purpose of elucidating the single subject 
of the capitulation of Monterey, contains, also, references to 
other matters which have not yet been presented in a narrative 
form. To these it is necessary to revert, in order that the posi- 
tion of the army under Taylor's command, and the plans of the 
War Department, affecting its strength and movements, may be 
fully understood. 

The capture of Monterey found the army reduced at that 
place to an effective force of about five thousand five hundred 
men. This small number was soon further diminished by sick- 
ness, occasioned by the climate, the season, and hardship, to 
which more than two-thirds of the men were wholly unused. 
General Taylor's letters have shown that, had no armistice been 
agreed upon, he would still have been unable to make any im- 
portant hostile demonstration far beyond Monterey. It is true 
that a large body of volunteers was at different points on the 
Rio Grande ; but the difficulty of subsistence, on a line already 
extended one hundred and fifty miles, forbade the immediate 



FAILURE OF PEACE OVERTURES. 275 

advance of the army. This was a difficulty apprehended by 
Taylor from the first, and for which he was in no sense respon- 
sible. At the moment that the operations against Monterey 
were in progress, a change of policy, as regards the mode of 
procuring supplies, was recommended by the government. 

Advices having been received at Washington that a new 
effort to secure peace by negotiation had failed — the reliance 
on Santa Anna's pacific disposition having been misplaced — 
the Secretary of War wrote to General Taylor that this deter- 
mination on the part of the enemy suggested a change of 
policy in regard to our dealings with the people of the country 
occupied by our troops. On this particular subject the Secre- 
tary continued his instructions, under date of the 22d of Sep- 
tember, in these terms : 

" Public opinion, it is to be presumed, will have some influ- 
ence upon the decision of that congress. The progress of our 
arms, and the positions we may occupy when that body shall 
come together, cannot fail to have effect upon its action in re- 
gard to our proposal to negotiate. Should the campaign be 
successful, and our troops be in possession of important de- 
partments of the enemy's country, the inducement for a speedy 
peace will be greatly strengthened. 

" It is far from being certain that our military occupation of 
the enemy's country is not a blessing to the inhabitants in the 
vicinity. They are shielded from the burdens and exactions 
of their own authorities, protected in their persons, and fur- 
nished with a most profitable market for most kinds of their 
property. A state of things so favourable to their interests 
may induce them to wish the continuance of hostilities. 

"The instructions heretofore given have required you to 
treat with great kindness the people, to respect private, pro- 
perty, and to abstain from appropriating it to the public use 
without purchase at a fair price. In some respects, this is 
going far beyond the common requirements of civilized war- 
fare. An invading army has the unquestionable right to draw 
its supplies from the enemy without paying for them, and to 
require contributions for its support. It may be proper, and 
24 



276 INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING SUPPLIES. 

good policy requires that discriminations should be made in 
imposing these burdens. Those who are friendly disposed or 
contribute aid should be treated with liberality ; yet the enemy 
may be made to feel the weight of the war, and thereby be- 
come interested to use their best efforts to bring about a state 
of peace. 

" It is also but just that a nation which is involved in a war, to 
obtain justice or to maintain its just rights, should shift the 
burden of it, as far as practicable, from itself, by throwing it 
upon the enemy. 

" Upon the liberal principles of civilized warfare, either of 
three modes may be pursued in relation to obtaining supplies 
from the enemy ; first to purchase them on such terms as the 
inhabitants of the country may choose to exact ; second, to 
pay a fair price without regard to the enhanced value resulting 
from the presence of a foreign army ; and third, to require 
them as contributions, without paying or engaging to pay 
therefor. 

" The last mode is the ordinary one, and you are instructed 
to adopt it, if in that way you are satisfied you can get abun- 
dant supplies for your forces ; but should you apprehend a dif- 
ficulty in this respect, then you will adopt the policy of paying 
the ordinary price, without allowing to the owners the advan- 
tages of the enhancement of the price resulting from the in- 
creased demand. Should you apprehend a deficiency under 
this last mode of dealing with the inhabitants, you will be 
obliged to submit to their exactions, provided by this mode 
you can supply your wants on better terms than by drawing 
what you may need from the United States. Should you 
attempt to supply your troops by contributions, or the appro- 
priation of private property, you will be careful to exempt the 
property of all foreigners from any and all exactions whatso- 
ever. The President hopes you will be able to derive from 
the enemy's country, without expense to the United States, 
the supplies you may need, or a considerable part of them ; 
but should you fail in this, you will procure them in the most 
economical manner." 



EXPEDITION AGAINST TAMPICO. 277 

The same communication of the Secretary, from which the 
foregoing extracts are made, sets forth the plan of the govern- 
ment in the prosecution of the war. This plan was subse- 
quently modified, but as the instructions concerning it were 
partially fulfilled, they are here inserted as a necessary expla- 
nation of General Taylor's movements. The Secretary says: 

"It is proposed to take possession of the department of 
Tamaulipas, or some of the principal places in it, at the earliest 
practicable period. In this enterprize, it is believed that a co- 
operation of our squadron in the gulf will be important, if not 
necessary. It is presumed that a force of about three or four 
thousand men will be sufficient for this purpose — one third 
of which should be of the regular army. 

" We have not now sufficiently accurate knowledge of the 
* country to determine definitely as to the manner of conducting 
this enterprize. The dangerous navigation of the gulf at this 
season of the year, induces the hope that a column may be 
advanced by land from the present base of operations — the 
Rio Grande ; and that it may have an occasional communica- 
tion with our ships in the gulf. Should this land route be 
adjudged impracticable, or a debarkation be preferred, two 
points of landing have been suggested, one at the Bay of Sant- 
ander, and the other at Tampico. If a force be landed at the 
Bay of Santander, or in the vicinity of Soto la Marina, it 
could probably reach, without much difficulty, some of the 
principal places in the department of Tamaulipas, and march 
to, and take possession of Tampico ; while the route is yet 
open to be settled, as a better knowledge of the country may 
indicate, it is proper to speak more in detail of the force to be 
employed on this service. 

"It is not proposed to withdraw any of that now with you 
in your advance into the interior, nor to divert any of the rein- 
forcements that you may need to carry on jour operations in 
that quarter. It is believed that a sufficient force of the regular 
army for this expedition — about one regiment — may be drawn 
from the sea-board, including such companies as may have 
been left on the lower Rio Grande, and can be spared for that 






278 INSTRUCTIONS TO GEN. PATTERSON. 

purpose. If a column should advance beyond that river into 
the interior of Tamaulipas, a part of the troops now on that 
line, might, it is presumed, be safely withdrawn to augment 
the invading column. It is not, however, intended to weaken 
the force on that line any further than it can, in your opinion, 
be safely done. 

" It is also proposed to put the force for the invasion of 
Tamaulipas under the immediate command of Major General 
Patterson, to be accompanied by Brigadier Generals Pillow and 
Shields, unless it should interfere with your previous arrange- 
ment with regard to these officers. To prevent delay, General 
Patterson will be directed to make preparations for this move- 
ment, so far as it can be done without disturbing your present 
arrangements on the Rio Grande, and proceed immediately, 
and without further orders from the Department, unless you 
■should be of opinion that the withdrawal of the force proposed 
for this expedition, would interfere with your operations. This 
direction is given to General Patterson, because the time ne- 
cessary to receive information from you and return an answer 
from the department, may be the propitious moment for ope- 
rating with effect. The movement ought to be made with the 
least possible delay consistently with the health of the troops. 
It will be left to General Patterson, under your instructions, to 
decide whether the movement shall be by land or sea, or partly 
by each. It is desired that you should give him your views in 
regard to the last mode of prosecuting this expedition, parti- 
cularly as to the amount and description of force, and the 
quantity and kind of ordnance, &c, &c, which may be re- 
quired. Preparatory arrangements will be immediately ordered 
here for fitting out the expedition therein proposed, by which 
transports, provisions, &c, will be in readiness at the Brazos 
Santiago. By the time this communication will be received 
by you, it is expected that you will have reached Monterey, 
and perhaps Saltillo, and be able to present to the Department 
a satisfactory opinion of your ability to progress beyond that 
point. We shall anxiously look for information from you. 
Your advance to San Luis Potosi, if practicable, is rendered 



PROSECUTION OF THE WAR. 279 

greatly more important by the movement contemplated to 
Tampico, by which you will, it is believed, be enabled to effect 
a co-operation with the squadron, and with the column under 
Major General Patterson, on a line in advance of the' Rio 
Grande. The squadron is now under orders to attack Tam- 
pico, with every prospect of success, and the probability is that 
the place will be captured in advance of General Patterson's 
movement." 

On the same day that General Taylor was thus addressed, 
the Secretary wrote to General Patterson that, unless General 
Taylor had made arrangements to employ him otherwise, i( 
was designed that the expedition against the State of Tamau- 
lipas should be under his immediate command. The Secretary 
added, " As soon as you shall learn from General Taylor that 
a sufficient force for the enterprize can be spared, and receive 
his directions in regard to it, you will lose no time in putting 
them in execution. If General Taylor should not give direc- 
tions as to moving by land or water, the choice will then be 
left for your determination." 

On the 13th of October, the Secretary addressed General 
Taylor in reference to the capitulation of Monterey, in which 
he expressed the "President's regret that it was not deemed 
advisable to insist on the terms first proposed." And after fur? 
ther remarks he proceeds to say : 

" As the offer recently made by the United States to open 
negotiations for a peace was not acceded to by the present 
rulers of Mexico, but reserved to be submitted to and acted 
on by a congress to be assembled on the 6th of December 
next, it was deemed by the government here highly important, 
that the war in the mean time should be prosecuted with the 
utmost vigour, to the end that they might be made sensible of 
the evils of its continuance, and thereby become more inclined 
to bring it to a speedy close. In pursuance of this policy an 
expedition was proposed, in my despatch of the 22d ult., for 
the purpose of taking possession of the entire Department of 
Tamaulipas, and, under the belief that it would not interfere 
•with your plans and operations, no doubt was entertained that 
24* 



280 DESIGNS OF THE GOVERNMENT. 

it would receive your concurrence and support. In anticipa- 
tion thereof, measures have been already taken to carry it out 
at the earliest practicable period. 

« &y the arrangement you have made for a temporary sus- 
pension of hostilities, within certain limits of the enemy's 
country, if continued to the end of the time stipulated, a con- 
siderable part of Tamaulipas will be exempted from military 
operations, until within a few days of the time fixed for the 
meeting of the Mexican Congress, and the expedition thereby 
delayed, or if prosecuted by the land or naval forces, might 
bring into question the good faith of the United States. 

" In the despatch before referred to, you will perceive that 
an attack by our naval force upon some places on the coast of 
Tamaulipas is also contemplated. Whatever may be the ad- 
vantage or the necessity of the co-operation of a land force, 
it must be withheld until near the close of November, if the 
armistice is continued to the end of the stipulated period. 

" The government is fully persuaded that, if you had been 
aware of the special reasons disclosed in the despatch of the 
22d ultimo, and the intentions of the government, still enter- 
tained, you would not have acceded to the suspension of hos- 
tilities for even the limited period specified in the articles of 
capitulation ; but as its continuance depends on the orders of 
your government, you are instructed to give the requisite no- 
tice that the armistice is to cease at once, and that each party 
is at liberty to resume and prosecute hostilities without restric- 
tion. 

" The city of Monterey is regarded as an important acqui- 
sition. While held by a competent force, the authorities of 
Mexico may be considered as dispossessed of the Department 
of New Leon. It is therefore proposed that you should make 
the necessary arrangements for retaining possession of it during 
the war. 

" Not only Monterey, but the State of New Leon may, it is 
presumed, be regarded as a conquered country, and, as a con- 
sequence, the civil authorities of Mexico are in a measure 
superseded, or, at least, subject to your control. You will 



PLAN AGAINST VERA CRUZ. 281 

give this subject your consideration, and permit only such civil 
functionaries to retain and exercise power as are well disposed ( 
towards the United States. 

" It is an object of much interest to the government to be 
put in possession of your views as to your future operations. 

"The season for carrying on military operations in the 
enemy's country lying on the gulf has now arrived. It is 
deemed important that we should have possession of the whole 
of Tamaulipas before the meeting of the Mexican Congress in 
December. It is hoped that the expedition for that purpose, 
suggested in my communication of the 22d of September, can 
be organized and sent forward without at all interfering with 
the contemplated operation of the forces under your immediate 
command. 

" Among the officers presented to your consideration to be 
employed in this expedition was Brigadier General Shields. 
Attention was directed to him, by the knowledge that he had 
become acquainted with some of the principal inhabitants of 
Tamaulipas, and by that means had acquired information which 
would have been useful in conducting the enterprize. He has, 
however, since received orders to join General Wool, and 
probably cannot be conveniently recalled. If this can be done, 
and another brigadier sent to General Wool, it might be ad- 
vantageous to the public service to make the exchange. This 
is, however, left entirely to yourself. As to the employment 
of Major General Patterson, and Brigadier General Pillow, the 
wishes of the President and Department are unchanged. 

"It is under consideration by the government, though not 
yet fully determined, to land a considerable force in the vici- 
nity of Vera Cruz, and invest that city. Should this be un- 
dertaken, a larger force of regular troops will be required than 
that assigned to the Tamaulipas expedition. It is desired to 
know if, in your opinion, a detachment of two thousand of this 
description of force can be spared for that purpose from those 
under your command, without essentially interfering with your 
plans and operations. It is not desired or intended to weaken 
the force with you at Monterey, or to embarrass you by divert- 



282 LETTER TO THE WAR DEPARTMENT. 

ing troops from the Rio Grande, which you may deem neces- 
sary as reinforcements to the execution of your own contem- 
plated operations." 

In answer to the instructions of the Secretary, under date 
of the 22d of September, General Taylor wrote on the 13th 
of October that, under the terms of the capitulation, he could 
not detach a force south of a line from Linares to San Fer- 
nando. He therefore requested modified instructions. On the 
15th of October, General Taylor wrote the following full, very 
able, and spirited letter to the War Department. It merits 
attention on three grounds : 1st, the views of the author con- 
cerning his own movements ; 2d, concerning an attack on 
Vera Cruz ; and, 3d, concerning his rights as commander. 
On the second head, experience has now justified his decided 
opinions. Had the operations against Mexico, through Vera 
Cruz, been effected by an army of twenty-five thousand men, 
it is unnecessary to say that, although the ultimate result might 
not have been different, the immediate effect of the presence 
of such a force would probably have saved time and treasure, 
and certainly the sacrifice of thousands of lives. 

HeaJ-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Camp near Monterey, Oct. 15, 1846. 

" Sir: — In my acknowledgment, dated the 12th instant, of 
the instructions of the Secretary of War, of September 22d, 
I briefly stated that the detachment to Tampico could not be 
made without contravening the convention of Monterey. 
Other reasons and more detailed views on this point and the 
general question of the campaign, I left to a subsequent com- 
munication, which I have now the honour to submit for the in- 
formation of the General-in-Chief and the Secretary of War. 
Such a point has been reached in the conduct of the war and 
the progress of our arms, as to make it proper to place my 
impressions and convictions very fully before the government. 

" I wish to remark, first of all, that I have considered Bri- 
gadier General Wool, though formally under my orders, yet 
as charged by the government with a distinct operation, with 



PROPOSED ADVANCE ON SAN LUIS. 283 

which I was not at liberty to interfere. Though greatly in 
doubt as to the practicability of his reaching Chihuahua with 
artillery, and deeming the importance of the operation at any 
rate to be not at all commensurate with its difficulty and ex- 
pense, I have accordingly refrained from controlling his move- 
ments in any way. His force, therefore, forms no element in 
my calculations, particularly as it now is, or soon will be, en- 
tirely beyond my reach. 

" The Mexican army under General Ampudia has left Sal- 
tillo, and fallen back on San Luis Potosi — the last detachment, 
as I understand, being under orders to march to-day. General 
Santa Anna reached San Luis on the 8th instant, and is en- 
gaged in concentrating and organizing the army at that point. 
Whether the withdrawal of the forces to San Luis be intended 
to draw us into the country, far from supplies and support, or 
whether it be a political movement, connected with Santa 
Anna's return to power, it is impossible to say ; it is sufficient 
for my present argument to know that a heavy force is assem- 
bling in our front. Saltillo, the capital of Coahuila, is virtu- 
ally in our possession, and can be occupied, if necessary, the 
moment the convention is at an end. The occupation of Sal- 
tillo will lengthen our line seventy-five miles, but, on the other 
hand, may enable us to draw at least a portion of our bread- 
stuffs from the country. San Luis is about three hundred 
miles from Saltillo, perhaps more. 

" San Luis is a city of some 60,000 inhabitants, in a country 
abundant in resources, and at no great distance from the heart 
of the Republic, whence munitions of war and reinforcements 
can readily be drawn. It is at the same time nearly six hun- 
dred miles from the Rio Grande, which must continue to be 
the base of our operation, at least until we reach San Luis. 

"In view of the above facts, I hazard nothing in saying, 
that a column to move on San Luis from Saltillo, should, to 
ensure success, be at least 20,000 strong, of which 10,000 
should be regular troops. After much reflection, I consider 
| the above as the smallest number of effective troops that could 
be employed on this service without incurring the hazard of 



284 taylor's force inadequate. 

disaster and perhaps defeat. There would be required, be- 
sides, to keep open our long line, protect the depots, and se- 
cure the country already gained, a force of 5000 men — this, 
without including the force necessary to send to Tampico to 
take or hold that place. 

"The above estimate may seem large, when it is remem- 
bered that important results have been gained with a much 
smaller force. But we have hitherto operated near our own 
base, and the Mexicans at a great distance from theirs. Sal- 
tillo may be considered about equidistant from the Rio Grande 
and San Luis. Every day's march beyond it lengthens our 
already long line and curtails theirs — weakens us, and gives 
them strength. Hence the movement should not be undertaken 
except with a force so large as to render success certain. 

" In the above calculation I have supposed the Mexicans 
able to concentrate at San Luis a force of 40,000 to 50,000 
men. With tolerable stability in the government, I doubt not 
their ability to do this, and it is not safe to assume any less 
number as a basis. 

" The force of twelve months' volunteers has suffered greatly 
from disease. Many have died, and a great number have been 
discharged for disability. So much has their effective strength 
been reduced by this cause and present sickness that, in the 
absence of official returns, I am satisfied that five hundred men 
per regiment would be a large average of effectives among the 
volunteers. This would give, including the cavalry, a force a 
little short of 9000 men, or, adding 4000 regulars, (our pre- 
sent strength is not 3000,) a total force of 13,000. Leaving 
the very modernte number of 3000 to secure our rear, I should 
not be able to march from Saltillo, with present and expected 
means, at the head of more than 10,000 men — a number, 
which, from considerations above stated, I deem to be entirely 
inadequate. 

" And now I come to the point presented in the Secretary's 
letters. A simultaneous movement on San Luis and Tampico 
is there suggested ; but it will readily be seen that, with only 
half the force which I consider necessary to march on one 



V i E w s <> P r i 11 i>i; o v i; i; a no .n a . -J-.". 

point, it is quite impossible to march on both, ami that nothing 
short of an effective fpr^je ?f j25 4 QQ0 Up 30,000 men would, on 
military principles, justify the double m«.\ etpent. And it is to 
be remarked, that the possession of T^ampicp is indispensable 
in case we advance to San Luis, for the line hence to the latter 
place is entirely too long- to be maintained pei in.in. ■atly, and 
must be abandoned for the shorter one from Tampico, the 
moment San Luis is taken. 

"I have spoken only of the number of troops deenie 
cessary for the prosecution of the campaign beyond Saltillo. 
It will be understood that largely increased meaps and mate- 
rial of every kind will be equally necessary to render the army 
efficient, such as cavalry and artillery horses, means of trans- 
portation, ordnance stores, ^vi . 

"The Department may be assured that the above views 
have not been given without mature reflection, and ha\< 
the result of experience and careful inquiry. It will be for the 
government to determine whether the war shall be prosecuted 
by directing an active campaign against San Luis and the 
capital, or whether the country already gained shall be held, 
and a defensive attitude assumed. In the latter case, tie 
eral line of the Sierra Mad re might very well be taken ; but 
even then, with the enemy in force in my front, it might be 
^imprudent to detach to Tampico so large a force as bOOO or 
4000 men, particularly of the description required for that ope- 
ration. If the co-operation of the army, therefore, be deemed 
essential to the success of the expedition against Tampico, I 
trust that it will be postponed for the present. 

" I have not been unmindful of the importance of taking 
Tampico, and have at least once addressed the Department on 
the subject. Nothing but the known exposure of the place to 
the ravages of the yellow fever prevented me from organizing 
an expedition against it last summer. I knew that, if taken, 
it could not with any certainty be held, and that the cause 
would not be removed before the last of November or the fust 
of December. 

" It may be expected that I should give my views as to the 



286 PLAN AGAINST THE CAPITAL. 

policy of occupying a defensive line, to which I have above 
alluded. I am free to confess that, in view of the difficulties 
and expense attending a movement into the heart of the coun- 
try, and particularly in view of the unsettled and revolutionary 
character of the Mexican Government, the occupation of such 
a line seems to me the best course that can be adopted. The 
line taken might either be that on which we propose to insist 
as the boundary between the Republics — say the Rio Grande — 
or the line to which we have advanced, viz., the Sierra Madre, 
including Chihuahua and Santa Fe. The former line could be 
held with a much smaller force than the latter; but even the 
line of the Sierra Madre could be held with a force greatly less 
than would be required for an active campaign. Monterey 
controls the great outlet from the interior; a strong garrison, 
at this point, with an advance at Saltillo, and small corps at 
Monclova, Linares, Victoria, and Tampico, would effectually 
cover the line. 

" I have limited my remarks to the position of the army on 
this frontier, and the requirements of a campaign against San 
Luis Potosi ; the suggestions in the Secretary's letter being 
confined to this general theatre of operations. Should the 
Government determine to strike a decisive blow at Mexico, it 
is my opinion that the force should land near Vera Cruz or Al- 
varado, and, after establishing a secure depot, march thence on 
the capital. The amount of troops required for this service 
would not fall short, in my judgment, of 25,000 men, of 
which at least 10,000 should be regular troops. 

"In conclusion, I feel it my duty to make some remarks, 
which I would gladly have been spared the necessity of sub- 
mitting. I feel it due to ray position, and to the service, to 
record my protest against the manner in which the Department 
has sought to make an important detachment from my com- 
mand, specifically indicating not only the general officers, but,, 
to a considerable extent, the troops that were to compose it. 
While I remain in command of the army against Mexico, and 
am therefore justly held responsible by the Government and 
the country for the conduct of its operations, I must claim the 



SUBJECT OF FORCED SUPPLIES. 287 

i right of organizing all detachments from it, and regulating the 
■ time and manner of their service. Above all do I consider it 
• important that the Department of War should refrain from cor- 
, responding directly with my subordinates, and communicating 
i orders and instructions on points which, by all military precept 
: and practice, pertain exclusively to the general-in-chief com- 
. mand. Confusion and disaster alone can result from such a 
course. The reason alleged, viz., the loss of time in commu- 
nicating with General Patterson, has no application ; for the 
Secretary's despatch came from that officer to my head-quarters 
! in sixty hours, and he could not move, at any rate, without 
drawing largely upon this column for artillery and regular 
tro6ps. 

"I beg it may be understood that my remarks have no per- 
sonal application. It is quite probable that, in the event of 
making such a detachment, I would have placed it under Ma* 
jor General Patterson ; but I conceive that this mode of regu- 
lating details, and' ordering detachments direct from the De- 
partment of War, is a violation of the integrity of the chief 
command in the field, pregnant with the worst evils, and 
against which I deem it my duty respectfully but earnestly to 
protest. 

" I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Major Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C." 

I 
On the subject of forced supplies from the enemy's country, 

General Taylor, on the 26th of October, replied to the Secre- 
tary's suggestions in his letter of the 22d of September, that it 
would have been impossible before, and was then, to sustain 
the army to any extent by forced contributions of money or 
supplies. The country between the Rio Grande and Sierra 
Madre being poor, furnishing only corn and beef, these arti- 
cles were obtained at moderate rates ; but if a different system 
had been adopted, it was certain, in General Taylor's opinion,/ 
that they would not have been procured at all in sufficient quan- 
25 



288 GENERAL WOOL'S DIVISION. 

tities. The prompt payment in cash for the few articles of sup 
ply drawn from the country neutralized much of the unfriendly 
feeling with which the army was regarded, and contributed 
greatly to facilitate operations. The people had it in their 
power, at any time, to destroy their crops, and would undoubt- 
edly have done so, rather than see them taken forcibly. Added 
to which they would have had no inducements to plant again. 
The prices paid were reasonable, being, in almost all cases, the 
prices of the country. 

General Taylor added, to these views, " should the army, in 
its future operations, reach a portion of the country which may 
be made to supply the troops with advantage, I shall not fail 
to conform to the wishes and instructions of the department in 
this particular." 

In compliance with instructions of the government, General 
Taylor formally notified the Mexican general-in-chief that the 
armistice would cease on the 13th of November. 

The movements of General Wool's Division, in Northern 
Mexico, have not yet been noticed in the recital of General Tay- 
lor's operations, as they had, until the winter of 1846, no im- 
mediate connection with them. In November, however, Ge- 
neral Wool had approached near enough to General Taylor's 
position to make his further advance important to the latter. 
The force under General Wool consisted of Kentucky, Illinois, 
and Arkansas volunteers, chiefly cavalry, and a battalion of 
regular artillery, with six field-pieces, the whole number of 
men being about twenty-four hundred. This column had pur- 
sued a very long and fatiguing march, sustaining with great 
fortitude its share in the invasion of Mexico. It reached Mon- 
clova, distant in a direct line about one hundred miles north 
of Saltillo, and about seventy miles north-west of Monterey, 
on the 31st of October. 



worth's march to saltili.o. 2*9 



CHAPTER XVI. 

M<ncK of Woith's Division for Saltillo — Taylor's Instruction* — His reasons for 

holding S.iUillo Opinion regarding the Expedition against Vera Cruz — The 

Forces necessary — Taylor visits Saltillo — Protest of the Governor — Relative 
position of the Divisions — TampicQ occupied — Taylor sets out for Victoria 
with Twigcrs' and Quitman's Brigades — Returns with the former— Uorfceri- 
tration at Saltillo — Arrival of Wool's Division expected — Taylor marchas 
again for Victoria with Twigns' Division — Occupation ot Victoria — Fours 
there — Government PI ins against Vera Cruz — Letter from General Scott to 

General Taylor Forces withdrawn from General Taylor — Address to his 

Troops — Loss of May's Keur-guard — Capture of Majors Uorl.in I, (iimes, 
and C. M. Clay — Affairs of Mexico — Activity of Santa Anna — His advance 

to San Luis General Wool's Camp — Taylor's advance to Saltillo — Camp 

at Agua Nueva — At Buena Vista — Enumeration of Santa Anna's Forces — 
of Taylor's Forces. 

On the 12th of November, a division, commanded by Ge- 
neral Worth, composed of two regiments of infantry, one 
company of volunteers, a field-battery of eight pieces, and 
ei^ht companies of artillery, marched from Monterey for Sal- 
tillo. General Taylor had instructed General Wool to remain 
at Monclova, to await his own arrival at Saltillo, there to de- 
termine what disposition he would make of the column at the 
former place. It was the purpose of General Taylor, at the 
same time, to accompany an expedition against Tatnpico, for 
•which he had taken preliminary steps. The information he 
had received of the difficulty of obtaining water on the road 
from Saltillo to San Luis, left him in doubt of the expediency of 
attempting anv further advance into Mexico in that direction. 
On the day of General Worth's march from Monterey, (the 
12th) General Taylor, intending to follow him on the next, to 
determine his further plans, addressed the War IVpartm'-nt, 
showing the propriety of occupying Saltillo, even though no 
movement should be made beyond it. He said : 

" Without active operations towards San Luis Potosi from 
this quarter, I still deem the occupation of Saltillo important 
for three reasons : first, as a necessary outpost of the main 
force at Monterey, covering, as it does, the important defile 
which leads from the low country to the table land, and also 



290 review of taylor's plans. 

the route to Monclova ; secondly, as controlling a region from 
which we may expect considerable supplies of breadstuff's and 
cattle, viz., the fertile country around Parras ; and, thirdly, as 
the capital of Coahuila, which renders it very important in a ' 
political point of view. 

"I have already represented to the Department the difficul- 
ties to be encountered in a forward movement upon San Luis, 
and the amount of force which would be necessary to ensure 
success. Those reasons only apply to the country beyond Sal- 
tillo. I consider the occupation of that point as a necessary 
complement to our operations, and to the policy of holding a 
defensive line, as the Sierra Madre, and trust the Department 
will concur with me in this view." 

In the same communication he stated, with regard to the 
then proposed expedition against Vera Cruz, as he had before, 
that twenty-five thousand troops, ten thousand being regular, 
would be properly required to take possession of Vera Cruz, 
and march thence against the city of Mexico. But for the 
mere occupation of the former, he expressed to the Secretary 
the opinion that ten thousand troops would suffice. Regard- 
ing the means by which such a force could be raised, he stated 
the whole ten thousand could not be spared from the occupa- 
tion of the line of the Sierra Madre ; four thousand might be 
diverted from that object ; and that if to these six thousand fresh 
troops from the United States were added at the proper time, 
the expedition might be undertaken with a promise of success. 
He proposed, therefore, to proceed with the preparation for a 
movement on Tampico, and, after accomplishing every thing 
to be done in that quarter, to hold, if the Department approved, 
four thousand men, of which there might be three thousand 
regulars, ready to embark at some point on the coast, and effect 
a junction with the additional force from the States. The 
movement towards Tampico, he considered, would not pro- 
duce any delay if his views were adopted ; and he considered 
: t quite important to occupy Victoria, and the lower portion of 
Tamaulipas, after securing properly the line to be held in that 
quarter. 



TAYLOR'S ADVANCE TO SALTILLO. 291 

On the 13th of November, General Taylor followed General 
Worth's Division to Saltillo, escorted by two squadrons of 
dragoons. This town is the capital of the State of Coahuila, 
and is distant sixty-five miles south-west from Monterey. As 
soon as he had crossed the line of the State, General Taylor 
was met by a messenger from the Governor, with the following 
protest against his advance : 

Saltillo, Nov. 16, 1846. 
God and Liberty ! 

The movement you are making with the forces under your 
command, leaves no doubt that your object is to invade this 
city, as have been the greater part of the towns of Coahuila 
by the troops which have advanced to Monclova. The want 
of arms in this State leaves me no means to oppose force to 
force, and will enable you to occupy this capital without oppo- 
sition, and compel me to retire from it ; but in doing so, I 
ought, and I desire to place upon record, in the most authentic 
manner, this protest, which I solemnly make, in the name of 
the State of Coahuila, against the government of the United 
States of the North, for the usurpation of the territory occupied 
by their arms — for the outrages and damages which may accrue 
to the persons and property of the inhabitants of these defence- 
less towns — for the injuries the public interests may suffer— 
and for all the evils consequent upon the most unjustifiable in- 
vasion ever known to the world. 

Jose Marie de Aguirre. 

Major General Taylor, General-in-chief of 
the Army of the United States. 

General Taylor, whatever he may have thought of this really 
pathetic document, proceeded to Saltillo, which General Worth 
had reached on the 16th, and occupied without opposition. 

A reconnoissance was made of the country about twenty- five 
miles in front, and, at the same time, one projected of the Par- 
ras route as far as Patos — a rich hacienda about thirty-five miles 
from Saltillo. 

The division at Saltillo covered the direct route f-oni San 
25* 



292 HIS RETURN TO MONTEREY. 

Luis Potosi. The other route would he covered by a force at 
Parras, v\hich would, at the same time, control abundant sup- 
plies to be drawn from the neighbouring country — the richest 
of the north of Mexico. Brig. Gen. Wool being in position 
at Monclova, and it being fully ascertained that he could not 
march thence on Chihuahua, even were it desired, General 
Taylor ordered him to move on Parras. It was his intention 
thus completely to occupy and cover the State of Coahuila, 
and in case of active operations towards the interior, to be in 
position to march on San Luis, Zacatecas, or Durango. Having 
made these dispositions, and left with General Worth a squad- 
ron of dragoons, General Taylor returned about the 20th to 
Monterey. 

On the 25th he learned officially of the occupation of Tam- 
pico, on the 14th of the same month, by the naval forces under 
Commodore Perry. He had before learned that the garrison 
had been withdrawn on the 27th of October. On the requi- 
sition of Commodore Perry, General Patterson promptly gave 
orders for Lieut. Col. Belton's battalion (six companies) to 
proceed to and garrison Tampico ; and also took measures to 
ship thither a sufficient supply of heavy ordnance and provi- 
sions. These orders were fully approved by General Taylor, 
and he directed a regiment of volunteers to be added to the 
garrison. 

General Taylor still made his dispositions to throw forward 
a force as far as Victoria, with the view of examining the 
country, and particularly the passes which lead from Linares- 
and other points, towards the interior. All his plans for the 
occupation of Victoria, and the retention of the line already 
acquired, were matured with profound consideration of both 
means and ends. As set forth in his despatches they exhibit 
foresight, prudence, and comprehensive judgment of details 
bearing on one great purpose. Circumstances occurred, how- 
ever, to change the character, and reduce the number of his 
troops, and thus to affect his main scheme. The despatches, 
therefore, touching his preparations and objects in the occupa- 
tion of Victoria, would, in this place, only postpone other mat- 



ALARMS AND COUNTER MOVEMENTS. 293 

ter, which has paramount interest. It is sufficient to say that 
they are among the ablest papers addressed by him to the go- 
vernment. 

Monterey was made the head-quarters of General Butler, and 
on the 15th of December General Taylor set out for Victoria, 
having previously put in motion the troops destined for that 
point. At Montemorelos, a junction was effected on the 17th 
with the 2d infantry, and 2d regiment of Tennessee foot from 
Camargo, and it was his intention, with the whole force, about 
three thousand men, to march on the 19th for Victoria. But 
the evening of his arrival at Montemorelos a despatch arrived 
from General Worth, commanding at Saltillo, with the intelli- 
gence that Santa Anna designed to take advantage of the di- 
version of force towards Victoria, and by a rapid movement 
to strike a heavy blow at Saltillo, and if successful, then at 
General Wool's force at Parras. Under these circumstances, 
and with no means of judging how far this information might 
be well-founded, General Taylor deemed it proper to return to 
Monterey, with the regular force, and thus be in a position to 
reinforce Saltillo, if necessary. The volunteers under Brig. 
Gen. Quitman, reinforced by a field-battery, were ordered to 
continue their march, and effect a junction with Gen. Patterson 
at Victoria, while General Taylor returned to Monterey with 
General Twiggs' Division, then increased by the 2d infantry. 

In the mean time, General Butler and Brig. Gen. Wool, 
having been advised by General Worth of a probable attack 
upon his position, moved rapidly to join him, with all available 
force, at Parras and Monterey, while orders were despatched 
by General Butler to hasten up troops from the rear. The lat- 
ter general proceeded in person to Saltillo,' and assumed the 
command, agreeably to General Taylor's instructions, given 
-before his departure, to meet such a contingency. 

General Taylor had proceeded beyond Monterey, on his 
way to Saltillo, when he was met, on the 20th, by a despatch 
from Saltillo, announcing the early arrival of General Wool's 
column, and also that the expected concentration and move- 
ment of the Mexican troops upon that position had not taken 



294 OCCUPATION OF VICTORIA. 

place. Deeming the force present and expected at Saltillo 
sufficient to repel any demonstration from San Luis Potosj, 
General Taylor thought it unnecessary to throw forward Gen. 
Twiggs 1 Division to that place, and, on the 16th of December, 
again marched with it towards Victoria. 

Oa the 29th, General Quitman occupied Victoria without 
resistance. The enemy had a body of some fifteen hundred 
cavalry in the town, but which fell back as General Quitman 
approached. General Taylor arrived there, with the division 
of General Twiggs, on the 4th of January, and was joined on 
the same day by the force which General Patterson conducted 
from Matamoros. The force collected there was upward of 
five thousand strong. 

While General Taylor was thus maturing his operations, 
according to his plans already referred to, the government had 
determined to concentrate the largest possible number of regu- 
lars and experienced volunteers in the attack upon Vera Cruz. 
General Scott was charged with the command of the expedi- 
tion, and immediately took measures to secure its success. 
How those measures necessarily affected General Taylor's force 
is partly shown in the following extracts from a letter addressed 
to him by General Scott from New York, on the 25th of No- 
vember. It is proper to remark, that the letter was marked 
"private and confidential," but was afterwards published with 
other correspondence of the War Department. General Scott 
said : 

"By the 12th of December I may be in New Orleans, at 
Point Isabel the 17th, and Camargo say the 23d, in order to 
be within easy corresponding distance from you. It is not 
probable that I may be able to visit Monterey, and circum- 
stances may prevent your coming to me. I shall much regret 
not having an early opportunity of felicitating you in person 
upon your many brilliant achievements ; but we may meet 
somewhere in the interior of Mexico. 

" I am not coming, my dear general, to supersede you in the 
immediate command on the line of operations rendered illus- 
trious by you and your gallant army. My proposed theatre is 



Taylor's troops withdrawn. 295 

different. You may imagine it, and I wish very much that it 
were prudent, at this distance, to tell you all that I expect to 
attempt or hope to execute. I have been admonished that de- 
spatches have been lost, and I have no special messenger at 
hand. Your imagination will be aided by the letters of the 
Secretary of War, conveyed by Mr. Armistead, Major Graham, 
and Mr. McLane. 

« But, my dear general, I shall be obliged to take from you 
most of the gallant officers and men (regulars and volunteers) 
whom you have so long and so nobly commanded. I am 
I afraid that I shall, by imperious necessity — the approach of 
yellow fever on the Gulf coast — reduce you, for a time, to stand 
on the defensive. This will be infinitely painful to you, and 
for that reason distressing to me. But I rely upon your pa- 
triotism to submit to the temporary sacrifice with cheerfulness. 
No man can better afford to do so. Recent victories place 
you on that high eminence, and I even flatter myself that any 
benefit that may result to me, personally, from the unequal di- 
vision of troops alluded to, will lessen the pain of your conse- 
quent inactivity. 

« You will be aware of the recent call for nine regiments of 
new volunteers — including one of Texas horse. The Presi- 
dent may soon ask for many more', and we are not without 
hope that Congress may add ten or twelve to the regular estab- 
lishment. These, by the spring, say April, may, by the aid of 
large bounties, be in the field — should Mexico not earlier pro- 
pose terms of accommodation ; and long before the spring 
(March) it is probable you will be again in force to resume 
offensive operations. 

" Your detailed report of the operations at Monterey, and 
reply to the Secretary's despatch, by Lieutenant Armistead, 
were both received two days after I was instructed to proceed 
south." 

In consequence of the plan thus declared, the regular troops, 
with the exception of a very small body of the troops which 
composed his army in the month of November, the division 
of General Worth at Saltillo, of General Patterson at Victoria, 



296 ADDRESS TO HIS TROOPS. 

the brigades of Generals Quitinan and Twiggs at the same 
place, and all other corps which could possibly be drawn from 
the field of operations, of which the Rio Grande was the base, 
were ordered to Vera Cruz. To maintain his position at Sal- 
tillo, General Taylor had about five thousand men, only five 
hundred being regulars. On parting with the troops who had 
so faithfully served with him, he issued an order which in these 
terms expressed his feelings : 

" It is with deep sensibility that the commanding general 
finds himself separated from the troops he so long commanded. 
To those corps, regular and volunteer, who have shared with 
him the active services of the field, he feels the attachment 
due to such associations, while to those who are making their 
first campaign, he must express his regret that he cannot par- 
ticipate with them in its eventful scenes. To all, both officers 
and men, he extends his heartfelt wishes for their continued 
success and happiness, confident that their achievements on 
another theatre will redound to the credit of their country and 
its arms." 

Captain May, on the route from Monterey to Victoria, having 
been ordered to examine the country on the south, and ascer- 
tain whether there was a pass in the mountains in that direc- 
tion, lost eleven men of "his rear-guard, who were cut off by 
a party of the enemy. The command of Captain May con- 
sisted of only two companies of dragoons ; and the misfortune 
occurred on a mountain road, in a defile so narrow that only 
one horse could pass it at a time. The enemy was at no time 
seen by the main body, which was in advance. This affair 
occurred near Victoria, in the latter part of December. An- 
other trifling success was enjoyed by the enemy on a subse- 
quent day. Major Borland, with a detachment of fifty Ark- 
ansas cavalry, and Major Gaines and Cassius M. Clay, with 
thirty men, were surprised by an overwhelming body of Mexi- 
can cavalry at the hacienda of Encarnacion, about forty-five 
miles south of Sakillo, and taken prisoners. Early in January 
General Taylor left Victoria with a small escort, and returned 
to Monterey, where he established his head-quarters. 



SANTA ANNA'S ADVANCE. 297 

While the United States were making preparations to attack 
Vera Cruz, and maintain the positions gained by the northern 
divisions of the army, under Taylor, Wool, and Kearney, 
Mexico was also preparing for a decisive blow. In December, 
the Mexican Congress, convened under the restored Constitu- 
tion of 1824, assembled in the capital. After considerable 
discussion, Santa Anna was elected Provisional President, and 
Gomez Farias, Vice President of the Republic. The com- 
mand of the army was undertaken by Santa Anna personally. 
From the moment of his arrival in Mexico, on his return from 
Havana, his labours had been incessant to restore domestic 
order, to unite parties, to devise measures of finance, and to 
raise and equip troops. An attempt to obtain pecuniary aid 
from the church was bitterly opposed by the Primate of Mexico, 
and, of course, by the subordinate clergy, who, failing at first 
in simple remonstrances, succeeded finally by the exercise of 
their spiritual power. Notwithstanding this and every other 
embarrassment, Santa Anna had concentrated at San Luis 
Potosi, before the end of January, 1847, an army of more 
than twenty-one thousand men, prepared to march thence 
against the divisions of General Taylor's force between Sal- 
tillo and the Rio Grande. On the first of February, Santa 
Anna with his army was moving rapidly upon that town, up- 
wards of three hundred miles distant from San Luis. The 
march was arduous, not only on account of this distance, but 
from the want of water and provisions, and the severity of the 
winter weather. Unworthy of respect as the Mexican com- 
• mander has in many instances proved, it is proper to accord 
him in this the honour of extraordinary energy and ability. 
On the 20th of February he reached Encarnacion, and the 
next day his advance on Saltillo was resumed. 

General Wool had continued in command of the division 
of the American army at Saltillo. Near the end of January 
he advised General Taylor of the rumoured advance of Santa 
Anna, then organizing his forces at San Luis, as has been men- 
tioned. In consequence of this information, although at that 
time indefinite, General Taylor determined at once to meet the 



p 

298 MEXICAN AND AMERICAN FORCES. 

enemy, if opportunity should be offered ; and, leaving a gar- 
rison of fifteen hundred men at Monterey, he took up his line 
of march on the 31st, with a reinforcement for the column of 
General Wool. On the 2d of February he reached Saltillo, 
and on the 4th proceeded to Agua Nueva, twenty miles south 
of that city, on the San Luis road, where he encamped until 
the 21st. On this day, having learned from McCulloch's spies 
that the Mexicans were advancing in force, he fell back twelve 
miles nearer to Saltillo, to a better position in a defile of the 
mountains called Angostura, and facing the hacienda of Buena 
Vista. At this place he awaited the approach of Santa Anna, 
then within one day's march of it. 

The army of Santa Anna, when organized by him at San 
Luis, was composed, according to Mexican authorities, of the 
following corps : — 

Sappers, miners, and artillerists, with nineteen guns of heavy calibre. .. 650 

First, third, fourth, fifth, tenth, and eleventh regiments of the line, and ~) „ . 

first and third of light troops. 3 ' 

Fourth light troops, first active Celaya; ditto of Guadalajara; ditto") „ 

of Lagos; ditto of Queretaro ; ditto of Mexico. 3 ' 

Parrodi's division, with three pieces of heavy artillery 1 ,000 

Cavalry, (on the march) 6,000 

Artillery, (on the march) 250 

Mejia's division 4,000 

Total 2 1,340 

The brigades of Generals Minon and Juvera are not included 
in this enumeration, but it was diminished about one thousand 
by casualties, sickness, and desertion on the march. 

To oppose the advance of this army — of the force of which 
Taylor was not informed — he had at Buena ( Vista the following 
corps : — 

First Dragoons 114 

Second Dragoons 72 

Arkansas Cavalry 392 

Kentucky Cavalry 265 

Total Cavalry 843 

Third Artillery 142 

Fourth Artillery 106 

Total Artillery 248 



THE GROUND OF BUENA VISTA. 299 

Artillery and Cavalry 1091 

Second Kentucky Infantry 516 

Mississippi Riflemen 328 

Indiana Brigade 1036 

First Illinois Foot -• 519 

Second Illinois Foot 496 

Total Foot , 2895 

Texas Volunteers 53 

McCulloch's Spies 24 

Total Regiments or Corps - 4063 

General Staff 10 

Total effective force 4073 

Thus, the American array under Taylor was one-fifth the 
numerical force of the Mexican army under Santa Anna, when 
the latter approached the field of Buena Vista. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Taylor's Position at Buena Vista — Washington's Birth-day — Summons of Santa 
Anna to Taylor to Surrender — The Reply — Taylor's Detailed Report of the 
Battle — His order of Battle on the 22d — Skirmishes — Minon's Cavalry in 
the Rear — Battle on the 23d — Attack of the Enemy on the Left and Centre 
— Partial success of the Attack — Service of the Artillery — Repulse of the 
Enemy — Ruse of Santa Anna — Death of Yell and Vaughan — Renewed At- 
tacks of the Enemy — Bragg's Battery — The Day saved — Death of Hardin, 
McKee, Lincoln, and Clay — Incidents after the Battle — Comparative Losses 
—General Wool and other Officers and Corps distinguished — Official Return 
of Loss — Private Letter to General Butler — Taylor's Views of the Battle — 
Congratulatory Orders — Letters to Henry Clay and Governor Lincoln — Re- 
joicings in the United States — Mr. Crittenden — Repulse of Urrea and Romaro 
by Major Giddings — Taylor's pursuit of them — Return to his Head-quarters 
— Public Estimation of Taylor — The Presidency — His Personal Views as a 
Candidate — Concluding Remarks on his Character. 

The position selected by General Taylor to receive with his 
small army of volunteers the vastly superior force of the Mexi- 
can chief, was one of remarkable natural strength. It was at 
a point where the main road from San Luis to Saltillo passes 
between closely approximating chains of mountains.. The 
26 



300 TAYLOR SUMMONED TO SURRENDER. 

bases of these mountains are cut, by the occasional torrents of 
rain, into numerous deep gullies, almost impassable, owing to 
the ruggedness and steepness of the banks, leaving between 
them elevated table-lands, or plateaus, of various extent. On 
the west of the road, and nearly parallel to it, between Agua 
Nueva and Buena Vista, is also a ditch, forming one of the 
mountain drains on that side. The American army was drawn 
up at nearly right angles to the road, its chief force being on 
the east of it, occupying a large plateau commanding the 
mountain side. Facing the south, this force constituted the 
left wing. A battery of light artillery occupied the road, and 
the right wing rested on the opposite hill. 

In this attitude General Taylor awaited the advance of Santa 
Anna, on the morning of the 22d of February, a day dear to 
American memories, as that which gave Washington to his 
country. It is reasonable to believe that it was not forgotten 
on the field of Buena Vista ; and that the four thousand men 
there arrayed to oppose five times their number, and to hear 
for the first time the din of hostile arms, recalled the name of 
him whose glory is a heritage worthy of a nation's dearest 
blood. The enemy was soon descried moving in large masses, 
the host of cavalry conspicuous from the forest of their lances 
glittering under a cloudless sun. An hour before noon the 
head of their columns had approached within two miles of the 
American position. At this movement a white flag was seen 
advancing from the Mexican front, and its bearer was soon in 
the presence of General Taylor. He presented the General 
the following letter : 

Camp at Encantada, February 22, 1847. 

God and Liberty ! 

You are surrounded by 20,000 men, and cannot, in any 
human probability, avoid suffering a rout, and being cut to 
pieces with your troops ; but as you deserve consideration and 
particular esteem, 1 wish to save you from a catastrophe, and 
for that purpose give you this notice, in order that you may 
surrender at discretion, under the assurance that you will be 
treated with the consideration belonging to the Mexican char- 



BATTLE-GROUND AND VICINITY 

OF 

BTOMA YEOTAo 

FEBRUARY 22d AND 23d, 184 7. 




REFERENCES. 

A. Right of the American Array. 

B. Battery of light artillery posted on the road. 

C. Left of the American Army on the " platean." 

D. D. Mexican Army before the battle on the 22d. 

{To face page 300.) 



THE REPLY TO THE SUMMONS. 301 

•acter, to which end you will be granted an hour's time to 
make up your mind, to commence from the moment when my 
flag of truce arrives in your camp. 

With this view, I assure you of my particular consideration. 
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. 

To General Z. Taylor, 

Commanding the Forces of the U. S. 

To this summons General Taylor immediately replied in 
these terms — an admirable example of decision without pre- 
sumption. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Near Buena Vista, February 22, 1847. 

Sir : In reply to your note of this date, summoning me to 
surrender my forces at discretion, I beg leave to say that I de- 
cline acceding to your request. 

With high respect, I am, sir, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Major General U. S. Army, commanding. 
Senor Gen. D. Antonia Lopez de Santa Anna, 
Commander-in-chief, La Encantada. 

W T ith this introduction to the battle of Buena Vista, General 
Taylor's detailed report of it is given, as sufficiently compre- 
hensive, and the most proper for these pages. 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Agua Nueva, March 6, 1847. 

Sir : I have the honour to submit a detailed report of the 
operations of the forces under my command, which resulted in 
the engagement of Buena Vista, the repulse of the Mexican 
army, and the reoccupation of this position. 

The information which reached me of the advance and con- 
centration of a heavy Mexican force in my front, had assumed 
such a probable form, as to induce a special examination far 
beyond the reach of our pickets to ascertain its correctness. A 
small party of Texan spies, under Major McCulloch, de- 
spatched to the hacienda of Encarnacion, thirty miles from this, 
on the route to San Luis Potosi, toad reported a cavalry force 
of unknown strength at that place. On the 20th of February, a 
26* 



302 AMERICAN LINE OF BATTLE. 

strong reconnoissance under Lieutenant Colonel May was de- 
spatched to the hacienda of Heclionda, while Major McCulloch 
made another examination of Encarnacion. The result of these 
expeditions left no doubt that the enemy was in large force at 
Encarnacion, under the orders of General Santa Anna, and 
that he meditated a forward movement and attack upon our 
position. 

As the camp of Agua Nueva could be turned on either flank, 
and as the enemy's force was greatly superior to our own, par- 
ticularly in the arm of cavalry, I determined, after much con- 
sideration, to take up a position about eleven miles in rear, and 
there await the attack. The army broke up its camp and 
marched at noon on the 21st, encamping at the new position a 
little in front of the hacienda of Buena Vista. With a small 
force I proceeded to Saltillo, to make some necessary arrange- 
ments for the defence of the town, leaving Brigadier General 
Wool in the immediate command of the troops. 

Before those arrangements were completed, on the morning 
of the 22d, I was advised that the enemy was in sight, ad- 
vancing. Upon reaching the ground it was found that his 
cavalry advance was in our front, having marched from En- 
carnacion, as we have since learned, at 11 o'clock on the day 
previous, and driving in a mounted force left at Agua Nueva 
to cover the removal of public stores. Our troops were in posi- 
tion, occupying a line of remarkable strength. The road at 
this point becomes a narrow defile, the valley on its right being 
rendered quite impracticable for artillery by a system of deep 
and impassable gullies, while on the left a succession of rugged 
ridges and precipitous ravines extends far back toward the 
mountain which bounds the valley. The features of the ground 
were such as nearly to paralyze the artillery and cavalry of the 
enemy, while his infantry could not derive all the advantage 
of its numerical superiority. In this position we prepared to 
receive him. Captain Washington's battery (4th artillery) was 
posted to command the road, while the 1st and 2d Illinois 
regiments, under Colonels Hardin and Bissell, each eight com- 
panies (to the latter of which was attached Captain Conner's 



SKIRMISH ON THE 2 2 d . 303 

company of Texas volunteers), and the 2d Kentucky, under 
Colonel McKee, occupied the crests of the ridges on the left 
and in rear. The Arkansas and Kentucky regiments of cavalry, 
commanded by Colonels Yell and H. Marshall, occupied the 
extreme left near the base of the mountain, while the Indiana 
brigade, under Brigadier General Lane (composed of the 2d 
and 3d regiments, under Colonels Bowles and Lane), the Mis- 
sissippi riflemen, under Colonel Davis, the squadrons of the 1st 
and 2d dragoons, under Captain Steen and Lieutenant Colonel 
May, and the light batteries of Captains Sherman and Bragg, 
3d artillery, were held in reserve. 

At eleven o'clock I received from General Santa Anna a 
summons to surrender at discretion, which, with a copy of my 
reply, I have already transmitted. The enemy still forbore his 
attack, evidently waiting for the arrival of his rear columns, 
which could be distinctly seen by our look-outs as they ap- 
proached the field. A demonstration made on his left caused 
me to detach the 2d Kentucky regiment and a section of artil- 
lery to our right, in which position they bivouacked for the 
night. In the mean time the Mexican light troops had engaged 
ours on the extreme left (composed of parts of the Kentucky 
and Arkansas cavalry dismounted, and a rifle battalion from 
the Indiana brigade, under Major Gorman, the whole com- 
manded by Colonel Marshall), and kept up a sharp fire, climb- 
ing the mountain side, and apparently endeavouring to gain 
our flank. Three pieces of Captain Washington's battery had 
been detached to the left, and were supported by the 2d Indi- 
ana regiment. An occasional shell was thrown by the enemy 
into this part of our line, but without effect. The skirmishing 
of the light troops was kept up with trifling loss on our part 
until dark, when I became convinced that no serious attack 
would be made before the morning, and returned, with the 
Mississippi regiment and squadron of 2d dragoons, to Saltillo. 
The troops bivouacked without fires, and laid upon their arms. 
A body of cavalry, some 1500 strong, had been visible all day 
in rear of the town, having entered the valley through a nar- 
row pass east of the city. This cavalry, commanded by General 



304 BATTLE BEGUN ON 23d. 

Minon, had evidently been thrown in our rear to break up and 
harass our retreat, and perhaps make some attempt against the 
town if practicable. The city was occupied by four excellent 
companies of Illinois volunteers, under Major Warren of the 
1st regiment. A field-work, which commanded most of the ap- 
proaches, was garrisoned by Captain Webster's company, 1st 
artillery, and armed with two twenty-four-pound howitzers, while 
the train and head-quarter camp was guarded by two compa- 
nies of Mississippi riflemen, under Captain Rogers, and a field- 
piece commanded by Captain Shover, 3d artillery. Having 
made these dispositions for the protection of the rear, I pro- 
ceeded on the morning of the 23d to Buena Vista, ordering 
forward all the other available troops. The action had com- 
menced before my arrival on the field. 

During the evening and night of the 22d, the enemy had 
thrown a body of light troops on the mountain side, with the 
purpose of outflanking our left ; and it was here that the action 
of the 23d commenced at an early hour. Our riflemen, under 
Colonel Marshall, who had been reinforced by three companies 
under Major Trail, 2d Illinois volunteers, maintained their 
ground handsomely against a greatly superior force, holding 
themselves under cover, and using their weapons with deadly 
effect. About eight o'clock a strong demonstration was made 
against the centre of our position, a heavy column moving 
along the road. This force was soon dispersed by a few rapid 
and well-directed shots from Captain Washington's battery. 
In the mean time the enemy was concentrating a large force of 
infantry and cavalry under cover of the ridges, with the obvious 
intention of forcing our left, which was posted on an extensive 
plateau. The 2d Indiana and 2d Illinois regiments formed 
this part of our line, the former covering three pieces of light 
artillery, under the orders of Captain O'Brien— Brigadier Gene- 
ral Lane being in the immediate command. In order to bring 
his men within effective range, General Lane ordered the artil- 
lery and 2d Indiana regiment forward. The artillery advanced 
within musket range of a heavy body of Mexican infantry, and 
was served against it with great effect, but without being able 



SUCCESS OF THE ENEMY. 305 

to check its advance. The infantry ordered to its support had 
fallen back in disorder, being exposed, as well as the battery, 
not only to a severe fire of small arms from the front, but also 
to a murderous cross-fire of grape and canister from a Mexican 
battery on the left. Captain O'Brien found it impossible to 
retain his position without support, but was only able to with- 
draw two of his pieces, all the horses and cannoneers of the 
third piece being killed or disabled. The 2d Indiana regi- 
ment, which had fallen back as' stated, could not be rallied, 
and took no farther part in the action, except a handful of men, 
who, under its gallant colonel, Bowles, joined the Mississippi 
regiment, and did good service, and those fugitives who, at a 
later period in the day, assisted in defending the train and depot 
at Buena Vista. This portion of our line having given way, 
and the enemy appearing in overwhelming force against our 
left flank, the light troops which had rendered such good ser- 
vice on the mountain were compelled to withdraw, which they 
did, for the most part, in good order. Many, however, were 
not rallied until they reached the depot at Buena Vista, to the 
defence of which they afterward contributed. 

Colonel Bissell's regiment (2d Illinois), which had been 
joined by a section of Captain Sherman's battery, had become 
completely outflanked, and was compelled to fall back, being 
entirely unsupported. The enemy was now pouring masses 
of infantry and cavalry along the base of the mountain on our 
left, and was gaining our rear in great force. At this moment I 
arrived upon the field. The Mississippi regiment had been 
directed to the left before reaching the position, and immedi- 
ately came into action against the Mexican infantry which had. 
turned our flank. The 2d Kentucky regiment, and a section 
of artillery under Captain Bragg, had previously been ordered 
from the right to reinforce our left, and arrived at a most op- 
portune moment. That regiment, and a portion of the 1st 
. Illinois, under Colonel Hardin, gallantly drove the enemy, and 
: recovered a portion of the ground we had lost. The batteries 
j of Captains Sherman and Bragg were in position on the pla- 
i teau, and did much execution, not only in front, but partial- 



306 REPULSE OF THE ENEMY. 

larly upon the masses which had gained our rear. Discovering 
that the enemy was heavily pressing upon the Mississippi regi- 
ment, the 3d Indiana regiment, under Colonel Lane, was de- 
spatched to strengthen that part of our line, which formed a 
crotchet perpendicular to the first line of battle. At the same 
time Lieutenant Kilburn, with a piece of Captain Bragg's bat- 
tery, was directed to support the infantry there engaged. The 
action was, for a long time, warmly sustained at that point — 
the enemy making several efforts, both with infantry and 
cavalry, against our line, and being always repulsed with heavy 
loss. I had placed all the regular cavalry, and Captain Pike's 
squadron of Arkansas horse, under the orders of Brevet Lieu- 
tenant Colonel May, with directions to hold in check the ene- 
my's column, still advancing to the rear along the base of the 
mountain, which was done in conjunction with the Kentucky 
and Arkansas cavalry under Colonels Marshall and Yell. 

In the mean time our left, which was still strongly threatened by 
a superior force, was farther strengthened by the detachment of 
Captain Bragg's, and a portion of Captain Sherman's batteries 
to that quarter. The concentration of artillery fire upon the 
masses of the enemy along the base of the mountain, and the 
determined resistance offered by the two regiments opposed to 
them, had created confusion in their ranks, and some of the 
corps attempted to effect a retreat upon their main line of bat- 
tle. The squadron of the 1st dragoons, under Lieutenant 
Rucker, was now ordered up the deep ravine which these re- 
treating corps were endeavouring to cross, in order to charge 
and disperse them. The squadron proceeded to the point in- 
dicated, but could not accomplish the object, being exposed 
to a heavy fire from a battery established to cover the retreat 
of those corps. While the squadron was detached on this ser- 
vice, a large body of the enemy was observed to concentrate 
on our extreme left, apparently with the view of making a de- 
scent upon the hacienda of Buena Vista, where our train and 
baggage were deposited. Lieutenant Colonel May was ordered 
to the support of that point, with two pieces of Captain Sher- 
man's buttery under Lieutenant Reynolds. In the mean.timp, 



RUSE OF SANTA ANNA. .'{07 

the scattered forces near the hacienda, cottpOStd in part of 
Majors Trail and Gorman's commands, had been, to some ex- 
tent, organized under the advice of Major Munroe, chief of 
artillery, with the assistance of Major Morrison, volunteer 
staff, and were posted to defend the position. Before our 
cavalry had reached the hacienda, that of the enemy had made 
its attack; having been handsomely met by the Kentucky and 
Arkansas cavalry under Colonels Marshall and Yell. The 
Mexican column immediately divided, one portion sweeping 
by the depot, where it received a destructive fire from the force 
which had collected there, and then gaining the mountain op- 
posite, under a fire from Lieutenant Reynold's section, the re- 
maining portion regaining the base of the mountain on ouf 
left. In the charge at Buena Vista, Colonel Yell fell gallantly 
at the head of his regiment; we also lost Adjutant Vaughan, 
of the Kentucky cavalry — a young officer of much promise. 
Lieutenant Colonel May, who had been rejoined by the squad- 
ron of the 1st dragoons, and by portions of the Arkansas and 
Indiana troops, under Lieutenant Colonel Roane and Major 
Gorman, now approached the base of the mountain, holding 
in check the right flank of the enemy, upon whose masses, 
crowded in the narrow gorges and ravines, our artillery was 
doing fearful execution. 

The position of that portion of the Mexican army which had 
gained our rear was now very critical, and it seemed doubtful 
"whether it could regain the main body. At this moment I re- 
ceived from General Santa Anna a message by a staff officer, 
desiring to know what I wanted ? I immediately despatched 
Brigadier General Wool to the Mexican general-in-chief, anu 
sent orders to cease firing. Upon reaching the Mexican lines 
General Wool could not cause the enemy to cease their fire, 
and accordingly returned without having an interview. The 
extreme right of the enemy continued its retreat along the 
base of the mountain, and finally, in spite of all our efforts, 
effected a junction with the remainder of the army. 

During the day, the cavalry of General Minon had ascended 
the elevated plain above Saltillo, and occupied the road from 



308 THE DAY SAVED. 

the city to the field of battle, where they intercepted several 
of our men. Approaching the town, they were fired upon by 
Captain Webster from the redoubt occupied by his company, 
and then moved off towards the eastern side of the valley, 
and obliquely towards Buena Vista. At this time, Captain 
Shover moved rapidly forward with his piece, supported by a 
miscellaneous command of mounted volunteers, and fired se- 
veral shots at the cavalry with great effect. They were driven 
into the ravines which lead to the lower valley, closely pursued 
by Captain Shover, who was farther supported by a piece of 
Captaiu Webster's battery, under Lieutenant Donaldson, which 
had advanced from the redout, supported by Captain Wheel- 
er's company of Illinois volunteers. The enemy made one or 
two efforts to charge the artillery, but was finally driven back 
in a confused mass, and did not again appear upon the plain. 
In the mean time, the firing had partially ceased upon the 
principal field. The enemy seemed to confine his efforts to 
the protection of his artillery, and I had left the plateau for a 
moment, when I was recalled thither by a very heavy musketry 
fire. On regaining that position, I discovered that our infantry 
(Illinois and 2d Kentucky) had engaged a greatly superior force 
of the enemy — evidently his reserve — and that they had been 
overwhelmed by numbers. The moment was most critical. 
Captain O'Brien, with two pieces, had sustained this heavy 
charge to the last, and was finally obliged to leave his guns on 
the field — his infantry support being entirely routed. Captain 
Bragg, who had just arrived from the left, was ordered at once 
into battery. Without any infantry to support him, and at the 
imminent risk of losing his guns, this officer came rapidly into 
action, the Mexican line being but a few yards from the muzzle 
of his pieces. The first discharge of canister caused the enemy 
to hesitate, the second and third drove him back in disorder, 
and saved the day. The 2d Kentucky regiment, which had 
advanced beyond supporting distance in this affair, was driven 
back and closely pressed by the enemy's cavalry. Taking a 
ravine which led in the direction of Captain Washington's bat- 
tery, their pursuers became exposed to his fire, which soon 



RETREAT OF SANTA ANNA. 309 

checked and drove them back with loss. In the mean time, 
the rest of our artillery had taken position on the plateau, 
covered by the Mississippi and 3d Indiana regiments, the for- 
mer of which had reached the ground in time to pour a fire into 
the right flank of the enemy, and thus contribute to his repulse. 
In this last conflict we had the misfortune to sustain a very 
heavy loss. Colonel Hardin, 1st Illinois, and Colonel McKee 
and Lieutenant Colonel Clay, 2d Kentucky regiment, fell at 
this time while gallantly leading their commands. 

No farther attempt was made by the enemy to force our po- 
sition, and the approach of night gave an opportunity to pay 
proper attention to the wounded, and also to refresh the sol- 
diers, who had been exhausted by incessant watchfulness and 
combat. Though the night was severely cold, the troops were 
compelled for the most to bivouack without fires, expecting that 
morning would renew the conflict. During the night the 
wounded were removed to Saltillo, and every preparation made 
to receive the enemy, should he again attack our position. 
Seven fresh companies were drawn from the town, and Briga- 
dier General Marshall, with a reinforcement of Kentucky cavalry 
and four heavy guns, ffnder Captain Prentiss, 1st artillery, was 
near at hand, wheu it was discovered that the enemy had aban- 
doned his position during the night. Our scouts soon ascer- 
tained that he had fallen back upon Agua Nueva. The great 
disparity of numbers, and the exhaustion of our troops, ren- 
dered it inexpedient and hazardous to attempt pursuit. A 
staff officer was despatched to General Santa Anna to negotiate 
an exchange of prisoners., which was satisfactorily completed 
on the following day. Our own dead were collected and buried, 
and the Mexican wounded, of which a large number had been 
left upon the field, were removed to Saltillo, and rendered as 
comfortable as circumstances would permit. 

On the evening of the 26fh, a close reconnoissance was made 
of the enemy's position, which was found to be occupied only 
by a small body of cavalry, the infantry and artillery having 
retreated in the direction of San Luis Potosi. On the 27th, 
our troops resumed their former camp at Agua Nueva, the 
27 



310 GREAT LOSS OF OFFICERS. 

enemy's rear-guard evacuating the place as we approached, 
leaving a considerable number of wounded. It was my pur- 
pose to beat up his quarters at Encarnacion early the next 
morning, but upon examination, the weak condition of the 
cavalry horses rendered it unadvisable to attempt so long a 
march without water. A command was finally despatched to 
Encarnacion, on the 1st of March, under Colonel Belknap. 
Some two hundred wounded, and about sixty Mexican soldiers 
were found there, the army having passed on in the direction 
of Matehuala, with greatly reduced numbers, and suffering 
much from hunger. The dead and dying were strewed upon 
the road and crowded the buildings of the hacienda. 

The American force engaged in the action of Buena Vista is 
shown, by the accompanying field report, to have been 344 
officers, and 4425 men, exclusive of the small command left 
in and near Saltillo. Of this number, two squadrons of cavalry 
and three batteries of light artillery, making not more than 453 
men, composed the only force of regular troops. The strength 
of the Mexican army is stated by General Santa Anna, in his 
summons, to be 20,000 ; and that estimate is confirmed by all 
the information since obtained. Our«loss is 267 killed, 456 
wounded, and 23 missing. Of the numerous wounded, many 
did not require removal to the hospital, and it is hoped that a 
comparatively small number will be permanently disabled. 
The Mexican loss in killed and wounded may be fairly esti- 
mated at 1500, and will probably reach 2000. At least 500 
of their killed were left upon the field of battle. We have no 
means of ascertaining the number of deserters and dispersed 
men from their ranks, but it is known to be very great. 

Our loss has been especially severe in officers, twenty-eight 
having been killed upon the field. We have to lament the 
death of Captain George Lincoln, Assistant Adjutant General, 
serving in the staff of General Wool — a young officer of high 
bearing and approved gallantry, who fell early in the action. 
No loss falls more heavily upon the army in the field than that 
of Colonels Hardin and McKee, and Lieutenant Colonel Clay. 
Possessing, in a remarkable degree, the confidence of their 



WOOL AND HIS DIVISION. 211 

commands, and the last two having enjoyed the advantage of 
a military education, I had looked particularly to them for sup- 
port in case we met the enemy. I need not say that their zeal 
in engaging the enemy, and the cool and steadfast courage 
with which they maintained their positions during the day, fully 
realized my hopes, and caused me to feel yet more sensibly 
their untimely loss. 

I perform a grateful ditty in bringing to the notice of the 
government the general good conduct of the troops. Exposed 
for successive nights, without fires, to the severity of the 
weather, they were ever prompt and cheerful in the discharge 
of every duty ; and finally displayed conspicuous steadiness 
and gallantry in repulsing, at great odds, a disciplined foe. 
While the brilliant success achieved by their arms releases me 
from the painful necessity of specifying many cases of bad 
conduct before the enemy, I feel an increased obligation to 
mention particular corps and officers, whose skill, coolness, and 
gallantry in trying situations, and under a continued and heavy 
fire, seem to merit particular notice. 

To Brigadier General Wool my obligations are especially 
due. The high state of discipline and instruction of several 
of the volunteer regiments was attained under his command, 
and to his vigilance and arduous service before the action, and 
his gallantry and activity on the field, a large share of our suc- 
cess may justly be attributed. During most of the engagement 
he was in immediate command of the troops thrown back on 
our left flank. I beg leave to recommend him to the favoura- 
ble notice- of the government. Brigadier General Lane (slightly 
wounded) was active and zealous throughout the day, and dis- 
played great coolness and gallantry before the enemy. 

The services of the light artillery, always conspicuous, were 
more than usually distinguished. Moving rapidly over the 
roughest ground, it was always in action at the right place and 
the right time, and its well-directed fire dealt destruction in 
the masses of the enemy. While I recommend to particular 
favour the gallant conduct and valuable services of Major 
Munroe, chief of artillery, and Captains Washington, 4th artil- 



312 CORPS AND OFFICERS DISTINGUISHED. 

lery, and Sherman and Bragg, 3d artillery, commanding bat- 
teries, I deem it no more than just to mention all the subaltern 
officers. They were nearly all detached at different times, and 
in every situation exhibited conspicuous skill and gallantry. 
Captain O'Brien, Lieutenants Brent, Whiting, and Couch, 
4th artillery, and Bryan, topographical engineers (slightly 
wounded), were attached to Captain Washington's battery. 
Lieutenants Thomas, Reynolds, and* French, 3d artillery (se- 
verely wounded), to that of Captain Sherman ; and Captain 
Shover and Lieutenant Kilburn, 3d artillery, to that of Captain 
Bragg. Captain Shover, in connection with Lieutenant Don- 
aldson, 1st artillery, rendered gallant and important service in 
repulsing the cavalry of General Minon. The regular cavalry, 
under Lieutenant Colonel May, with which was associated 
Captain Pike's squadron of Arkansas horse, rendered useful 
service in holding the enemy in check, and in covering the 
batteries at several points. Captain Steen, 1st dragoons, was 
severely wounded early in the day, while gallantly endeavour- 
ing, with my authority, to rally the troops which were falling 
to the rear. 

The Mississippi riflemen, under Colonel Davis, were highly 
conspicuous for their gallantry and steadiness, and sustained 
throughout the engagement the reputation of veteran troops. 
Brought into action against an immensely superior force, they 
maintained themselves for a long time unsupported and with 
heavy loss, and held an important part of the field until rein- 
forced. Colonel Davis, though severely wounded, remained 
in the saddle until the close of the action. His distinguished 
coolness and gallantry at the head of his regiment on this day 
entitle him to the particular notice of the government. The 
3d Indiana regiment, under Colonel Lane, and a fragment of 
the 2d, under Colonel Bowles, were associated with the Mis- 
sissippi regiment during the greater portion of the day, and 
acquitted themselves creditably in repulsing the attempts of the 
enemy to break that portion of our line. The Kentucky cavalry, 
under Colonel Marshall, rendered good service dismounted, 
acting as light troops on our left, and afterward, with a portion 



CORPS AND OFFI C ERS DT ST1 N G U I SH ED. 313 

of the Arkansas regiment, in meeting and dispersing the column 
of cavalry at Buena Vista. The 1st and 2d Illinois, and the 
2d Kentucky regiments, served immediately under my eye, and 
I bear a willing testimony to their excellent conduct throughout 
the day. The spirit and gallantry with which the 1st Illinois 
and 2d Kentucky engaged the enemy in the morning, restored 
confidence to that part of the field, while the list of casualties 
: will show how much these three regiments suffered in sustain- 
ing the heavy charge of the enemy in the afternoon. Captain 
Conner's company of Texas volunteers, attached to the 2d 
Illinois regiment, fought bravely, its captain being wounded 
and two subalterns killed. Colonel Bissell, the only surviving 
colonel of these regiments, merits notice for his coolness and 
bravery on this occasion. After the fall of the field-officers of 
the 1st Illinois and 2d Kentucky regiments, the command of 
the former devolved upon Lieutenant Colonel Weatherford ; 
that of the latter upon Major Fry. 

Regimental commanders and others who have rendered re- 
ports, speak in general terms of the good conduct of their 
officers and men, and have specified many names, but the limits 
of this report forbid a recapitulation ol them here. I may, 
however, mention Lieutenants Rucker and Campbell of the 
dragoons, and Captain Pike, Arkansas cavalry, commanding 
squadrons ; Lieutenant Colonel Field, Kentucky cavalry ; Lieu- 
tenant Colonel Roane, Arkansas cavalry, upon whom the com- 
mand devolved after the fall of Colonel Yell ; Major Bradford, 
Captain Sharpe (severely wounded), and Adjutant Griffith, 
Mississippi regiment ; Lieutenant Colonel Iladden, 2d Indiana 
regiment, and Lieutenant Robinson, aid-de-camp to General 
Lane; Lieutenant Colonel Weatherford, 1st Illinois regiment; 
Lieutenant Colonel Morrison, Major Trail, and Adjutant White- 
side (severely wounded), 2d Illinois regiment ; and Major Fry, 
2d Kentucky regiment, as being favourably noticed for gallantry 
and good conduct. Major McCulloch, quartermaster in the 
volunteer service, rendered important services before the en- 
gagement, in the command of a spy company, and during the 
affair was associated with the regular cavalry. To Major War- 
27* 



314 CORPS AND OFFICERS DISTINGUISHED. 

ren, 1st Illinois volunteers, I feel much indebted for his firm 
and judicious course, while exercising command in Saltillo. 

The medical staff, under the able direction of Assistant Sur- 
geon Hitchcock, were assiduous in attention to the wounded 
upon the field, and in their careful removal to the rear. Both 
in these respects, and in the subsequent organization and ser- 
vice of the hospitals, the administration of this department 
was every thing that could be wished. 

Brigadier General Wool speaks in high terms of the officers 
of his staff, and I take pleasure in mentioning them here, having 
witnessed their activity and zeal upon the field. Lieutenant 
and Aid-de-camp McDowell, Colonel Churchill, inspector 
general, Captain Chapman, assistant quartermaster, Lieutenant 
Sitgreaves, topographical engineers, and Captains Howard and 
Davis, volunteer service, are conspicuously noticed by the Ge- 
neral for their gallantry and good conduct. Messrs. March, 
Addicks, Potts, Harrison, Burgess, and Dusenbery, attached in 
various capacities to General Wool's head-quarters, are like- 
wise mentioned for their intelligent alacrity in conveying orders 
to all parts of the field. 

In conclusion, I beg leave to speak of my own staff, to 
w r hose exertions in rallying troops and communicating orders I 
feel greatly indebted. Major Bliss, assistant adjutant general, 
Captain J. H. Eaton, and Lieutenant R. S. Garnett, aids-de- 
camp, served near my person, and were prompt and zealous in 
the discharge of every duty. Major Munroe, beside rendering 
valuable service as chief of artillery, was active and instru- 
mental, as were also Colonels Churchill and Belknap, in- 
spectors general, in rallying troops and disposing them for the 
defence of the train and baggage. Colonel Whiting, quarter- 
master general, and Captain Eaton, chief of the subsistence 
department, were engaged w ? ith the duties of their departments, 
and also served in my immediate staff on the field. Captain 
Sibley, assistant quartermaster, was necessarily left with the 
head-quarter camp near town, where his services were highly 
useful. Major Mansfield and Lieutenant Benham, engineers, 
and Captain Linnard and Lieutenants Pope and Franklin, topo- 
graphical engineers, were employed before and during the en- 



REPORT OF KILLED AND WOUNDED. 315 

gagement in making reconnoissances, and on the field were 
very active in bringing information and in conveying my orders 
to distant points. Lieutenant Kingsbury, in addition to his 
proper duties as ordnance officer, Captain Chilton, assistant 
quartermaster, and Majors Dixand Coffee, served also as extra 
aids-de-camp, and were actively employed in the transmission 
of orders. Mr. Thomas L. Crittenden, of Kentucky, though 
not in service, volunteered as my aid-de-camp on this occasion, 
and served with credit in that capacity. Major Craig, chief of 
ordnance, and Surgeon Craig, medical director, had been de- 
tached on duty from head-quarters, and did not reach the 
ground until the morning of the 24th, too late to participate in 
the action, but in time to render useful services in their re- 
spective departments of the staff. 

I im, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Major General U. S. A. commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, Washington, D. C." 

ABSTRACT OF RETURNS OF KILLED, WOUNDED, AND MISSING, IN 
THE BATTLE. 







KILLED 






WOUNDED. 


KILLED, WODNDED, 
AND MISSING. 




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Second Dragoons. . . . 








. 1 


1 


2 . 


. 1 


1 


2 






1 


1 .. 


. 1 


21 


22 . 


. 1 


24 


25 






5 


5 . 


. 1 


20 


21 . 


. 1 


25 


26 


Mississippi Rifles 


2 


38 


40 . 


. 5 


51 


56 . 


. 7 


91 


98 


Kentucky Cavalry . . 


1 


26 


27 . 


. 5 


29 


34 . 


. 6 


55 


61 


Arkansas Cavalry . . . 


2 


15 


17 . 


. 1 


31 


32 . 


.. 3 


50 


53 


Second Ken. Foot . . 


3 


41 


44 . 


. 3 


54 


57 . 


.. 6 


96 


102 


First III. Foot 


3 


26 


29 . 


. 2 


16 


18 . 


. 5 


42 


47 




10 


38 


48 . 


. 6 


69 


75 . 


. 16 


110 


126 


Second Ind. Foot. . . . 


3 


29 


32 . 


. 8 


63 


71 . 


. 11 


96 


107 


Third Ind. Foot 


1 


8 


9 .. 


• 3 


53 


56 . 


. 4 


61 


65 


Company Texas Vol. 


2 


12 


14 . 


. 1 


1 


2 . 


. 3 


20 


23 




28 


239 


267 . 


. 415 


41 


456 . 


. 69 


677 


746 



31G CAUSE OF THE MEXICAN DEFEAT. 

The action thus officially and generally described, was in 
some respects distinguished above any other in which Taylor 
had commanded — and it may be added any other which had 
ever been fought on this continent. The enemy's forces were 
five to one of the American, and every arm proportionably 
superior. Although Taylor's position was a strong one, it was 
not impregnable from the mere nature of the ground, as the 
temporary success of the Mexicans on his left sufficiently proved. 
Thrice during the day that success seemed complete, when their 
vast numbers — scores sometimes against units — pressed for- 
ward with courage and energy, lacking only the indomitable 
perseverance of their foes to make victory secure. But the 
fire of the latter, maintained with precision and rapidity, as 
long as a man remained to serve a gun, was more than Mexi- 
can firmness could endure. The spirit which stormed the 
heights of Monterey, which rushed into its streets when the 
metal sleet from its forts and barricades swept down all before 
it — that spirit was not theirs. Their courage could approach 
or follow success, but was unequal to the task of defying de- 
feat. 

In a private letter to General E. G. W. Butler, General 
Taylor thus referred to certain incidents of the battle. The 
concluding passages will arrest attention, as proof of the sin- 
gularly hazardous position in which he had been placed by the 
withdrawal of his regular troops : 

" In the morning of the 23d, at sunrise, the enemy renewed 
the contest with an overwhelming force — with artillery, infantry, 
and dragoons — which lasted with slight intermissions until 
dark. A portion of the time the conflict was much the se- 
verest I have ever witnessed, particularly towards the latter 
part of the day, when he (Santa Anna) brought up his reserve, 
and in spite of every effort on our part, after the greatest exer- 
tions I have ever witnessed on both sides, drove us by an im- 
mense superiority of numbers for some distance. He had at 
least five to one at that point against us. Fortunately, at the 
most critical moment, two pieces of artillery which I had 
ordered up to support that part of our line, met our exhausted 



Taylor's refusal to retire. 317 

men retreating, when they were brought into battery and 
opened on the enemy, then within fifty yards in hot pursuit, 
with canister and grape, which brought him to a halt and soon 
compelled him to fall back. In this tremendous contest we 
lost three pieces of artillery, nearly all the men having been 
killed or crippled, which put it out of our power to bring them 
off; nor did I deem it advisable to attempt to regain them. 

" The enemy made his principal eflbrts against our flanks. He 
was handsomely repulsed on our right, but succeeded early in 
the day in gaining our left, in consequence of the giving way 
of one of the volunteer regiments, which could not be rallied ; 
with but few exceptions, the greater portion retiring about a 
mile to a large rancho or farm-house, where our wagons and a 
portion of our stores were left. These were soon after attacked 
by the enemy's cavalry, who were repulsed with some loss. 

" For several hours the fate of the day was extremely doubt- 
ful ; so much so that I was urged by some of the most expe- 
rienced officers to fall back and take a new position. This I 
knew it would never do to attempt with volunteers, and at 
once declined it. The scene had now become one of the 
deepest interest. Between the several deep ravines, there were 
portions of level land from one to four hundred yards in ex- 
tent, which became alternately points of attack and defence, 
after our left was turned, by both sides. These extended 
along and near the base of the mountain for about two miles, 
and the struggle for them may be very appropriately compared 
to a game of chess. Night put a stop to the contest, and, 
strange to say, both armies occupied the same positions they 
did in the morning before the battle commenced. Our artil- 
lery did more than wonders. 

" We lay on our arms all night, as we had done the two 
previous ones, without fires, there being no wood to be had, 
and the mercury below the freezing point, ready and expecting 
to renew the contest the next morning ; but we found at day- 
light the enemy had retreated during the night, leaving his 
killed and many of his wounded for us to bury and take care 
of — carrying off every thing else, and taking up a position at 



318 CONGRATULATORY ORDERS. 

this place. We did not think it advisable to pursue, not know- 
ing whether he would renew the attack, continue his retreat, 
or wished to draw us from our strong position ; but contented 
ourselves with watching his movements closely. 

" The loss on both sides was very great, as you may sup- 
pose — enough so on ours to cover the whole country with 
mourning, for some of the noblest and purest of the land have 
fallen. We had two hundred and forty killed, and five hun- 
dred wounded. The enemy has suffered in still greater num- 
bers, but as the dead and wounded are scattered all over the 
country, it is difficult to ascertain their number. The prisoners 
who have fallen into our hands, between two and three hun- 
dred — enough to exchange for all that have been taken from 
us — as well as some medical officers left behind to take care of 
the wounded, say that their killed and wounded is not less 
than fifteen hundred, and they say perhaps more. 

"I hope the greater portion of the good people of the 
country will be satisfied with what we have done on this occa- 
sion. I flatter myself that our compelling a Mexican army of 
more than twenty thousand men, completely organized, and 
led by their chief magistrate, to retreat, with less than five 
hundred regulars and about four thousand volunteers, will 
meet their approval. I had not a single company of regular 
infantry ; the whole was taken from me." 

Three days after the battle, General Taylor issued the fol- 
lowing congratulatory orders : — 

" 1. The commanding general has the grateful task of con- 
gratulating the troops upon the brilliant success which attended 
their arms in the conflicts of the 22d and the 23d. Confident 
in the immense superiority of numbers, and stimulated by the 
presence of a distinguished leader, the Mexican troops were 
yet repulsed in efforts to force our lines, and finally withdrew 
with immense loss from the field. 

"2. The general would express his obligations to the offi- 
cers and men engaged, for the cordial support which they ren- 
dered throughout the action. It will be his highest pride to 
bring to the notice of the government the conspicuous gallantry 



LETTER TO HENRY CLAY. 319 

of different officers and corps, whose unwavering steadiness 
more than once saved the fortunes of the day. He would also 
express his high satisfaction with the conduct of the small 
command left to hold Saltillo. Though not so seriously en- 
gaged as their comrades, their services were very important 
and efficiently rendered. While bestowing this just tribute to the 
good conduct of the troops, the general deeply regrets to say 
that there were not a few exceptions. He trusts that those who 
fled ingloriously to Buena Vista, and even to Saltillo, will seek 
an opportunity to retrieve their reputation, and to emulate the 
bravery of their comrades who bore the brunt of the battle, 
and sustained, against fearful odds, the honour of our flag. 

« The exultation of success is checked by the heavy sacri- 
fice of life which it has cost, embracing many officers of high 
rank and rare merit. While the sympathies of a grateful 
country will be gi«n to the bereaved families and friends of 
those who nobly fell, their illustrious example will remain for 
the benefit and admiration of the army." 

As the battle of Buena Vista was the most remarkable of 
Taylor's victories, so it was most memorable for its cost of 
blood and life. The limits of this volume are already so ex- 
tended, that it is necessary to forego the grateful labour of re- 
cording instances of singular devotion and heroism on the part 
of many officers and corps. The official report, already quoted, 
distinguishes the most notable of these — instances which in the 
history of war, ever painful, ever deplorable, may well be the 
theme of a nation's pride and gratitude. There are a few, 
however, of the noble dead, whom General Taylor's peculiar 
regard has distinguished by tributes to their memory, too ho- 
nourable to himself to be omitted here. These tributes are 
the annexed letters : — 

"Head-Quarters, Agua Nueva, March 1, 1847. 

" My Dear Sir : — You will no doubt have received, before 

this can reach you, the deeply distressing intelligence of the 

death of your son in the battle of Buena Vista. It is with no 

wish of intruding upon the sanctuary of parental sorrow, and 



320 LETTER TO EX-GOVERNOR LINCOLN. 

with no hope of administering any consolation to your wounded 
heart, that I have taken the liberty of addressing you these few 
lines ; but I have felt it a duty which I owe to the memory of 
the distinguished dead, to pay a willing tribute to his many 
excellent qualities, and while my feelings are still fresh, to ex- 
press the desolation which his untimely loss, and that of other 
kindred spirits, has occasioned. 

"I had but a casual acquaintance with your son, until he 
became for a time a member of my military family, and I can 
truly say that no one ever won more rapidly upon my regard, 
or established a more lasting claim to my respect and esteem. 
Manly and honourable in every impulse, with no feeling but 
for the honour of the service and of the country, he gave every 
assurance that in the hour of need I could lean with confidence 
upon his support. Nor was I disappointed. Under the guid- 
ance of himself and the lamented McKe£, gallantly did the 
sons of Kentucky, in the thickest of the strife, uphold the ho- 
nour of the state and the country. 

" A grateful people will do justice to the memory of those 
who fell on that eventful day. But I may be permitted to ex- 
press the bereavement which I feel in the loss of valued friends. 
To your son I felt bound by the strongest ties of private re- 
gard, and when I miss his familiar face, and those of McKee 
and Hardin, I can say with truth, that I feel no exultation in 
our success. 

" With the expression of my deepest and most heartfelt 
sympathies for your irreparable loss, I remain, 

" Your friend, 

" Z. Taylor. 

" Honourable Henry Clay." 



" Head-Quarters, Agua Nueva, April 3, 1847. 
<cSir: — Your letter of the 4th ult., in relation to the re- 
mains and effects of your much lamented son, Captain George 
Lincoln, has safely reached me. I beg leave to offer my 
heartfelt sympathies with you in the heavy affliction which has 



POPULAR HONOURS TO TAYLOR. 321 

befallen you in the death of this accomplished gentleman. In 
his fall, you have been bereaved of a son of whom you might 
be most justly proud, while the army has lost one of its most 
gallant soldiers. It is hoped, however, that your deep grief 
will be assuaged in some degree in the proud reflection that 
he fell nobly upon the field of battle, while gallantly discharg- 
ing the duties of his profession. 

" I learn upon inquiry that the body of your son was care- 
fully removed from the field immediately after his death, and 
that it was decently interred by itself. Its identity is therefore 
a matter of certainty. His effects are understood to have been 
collected with due care, and are now under the direction of 
General Wool. 

" I shall take an early occasion to convey your wishes on 
this subject to that officer, with the request that he will be kind 
enough to put the remains and effects, carefully prepared for 
transportation, en route for New York or Boston, by the first 
safe opportunity, and that he give you, at the same time, due 
notice thereof, 

" I am, Sir, with great respect, 

" Your ob't serv't, 

"Z. Taylor. 

" Ex-Governor Lincoln, Massachusetts." 

The news of the victory of Buena Vista was received in 
every part of the United States as the crowning evidence of 
Taylor's generalship. He had assumed the responsibility of 
holding his position beyond Monterey. Knowing his resources 
and trusting in his officers and troops, he hesitated not to risk 
every thing on the field against the host of Santa Anna. He 
has himself done justice to the brilliant part which General 
Wool bore in the action, approving all the preliminary disposi- 
tions of that able commander. He has also borne testimony 
to the services of all others who took part in the action. It 
was the province of the nation, in return, to acknowledge 
the surpassing merit of the commander-in-chief. That merit 
was acknowledged in every form of popular rejoicing and con- 
28 



322 CAMP AT WALNUT SPRINGS. 

gratulation. Cities and states were emulous in exhibitions of 
sympathy for his trials, exultation for his success, and respect 
for his character. 

On the 2d of March, General Taylor entrusted to Mr. Crit- 
tenden the official reports of the battle of Buena Vista, to be 
conveyed to Washington. He was escorted by Major Gid- 
dings, commanding two hundred and sixty infantry, and two 
pieces of artillery, and having in charge also one hundred and 
fifty wagons. When within a mile of Seralvo, on the road 
from Monterey to Camargo, the escort, which was divided for 
the protection of the wagons, was attacked by sixteen hundred 
Mexican cavalry and infantry, under Generals Urrea and Ro- 
maro. After a brief and gallant struggle, the enemy was re- 
pulsed with the loss of forty-five killed and wounded. The 
loss in Major Giddings' command was seventeen men, fifteen 
of whom were teamsters. General Taylor, subsequently hear- 
ing that Urrea was in command of a still larger force, pursued 
him with a command of about twelve hundred Ohio and Vir- 
ginia volunteers, a squadron of May's dragoons, and two com- 
panies of Bragg's artillery, as far as Caidereta, where he 
learned that the fugitives had crossed the mountains. General 
Taylor then returned to the camp at the Walnut Springs, three 
miles from Monterey, which, since that time has continued to 
be his head-quarters. The reduction of the number of his 
troops by the expiration of their terms of service, and by re- 
moval to other quarters, has prevented on his part any offensive 
operations in the direction of San Luis, if, indeed, such con- 
tinued to be entertained, after the direct movement of General 
Scott upon the capital. For this reason, as no action of mo- 
ment — compared with the great and stirring events of the 
Mexican war, prior to March — has occurred to excite renewed 
attention to the army under Taylor's command, it is not 
deemed necessary at present to record the incidents of its quiet 
occupation of the positions secured by the final victory of 
Buena Vista. When another land-mark in Taylor's career 
shall have been reared, it will be proper to follow his level 
progress in this interval. 



TAYLOR AND THE PRESIDENCY. 323 

From the time that the character of General Taylor's first 
achievements on the Rio Grande began to be appreciated in 
the United States, he was regarded by a large body of the 
people as a proper candidate for the Presidency. Monterey 
and Buena Vista confirmed the preference of many who had 
previously wavered. Numerous meetings, held in different 
parts of the Union, gave form and strength to this sentiment. 
Under the sanction of these meetings, as well as on individual 
responsibility, many letters were addressed to General Taylor, 
tendering formal nominations for the Presidency, or requesting 
a definition of his political opinions. To all these letters he 
has replied substantially in the same terms, expressing modestly 
his doubts concerning the propriety of undertaking an office 
for which he deems others more peculiarly fitted, and declining 
to accept any nomination for it, imposing pledges on his part 
to any political party. It is unnecessary to quote more than 
one of these letters of Taylor — which, as the latest from his 
pen, comprehends not only the declarations of those of earlier 
date, but contains a distinct avowal of his political partialities 
not previously expressed. This document is as follows : 

Head-Quarters, Army of Occupation. 
Camp near Monterey, August 10, 1847. 

Sir: Your letter of the 17th ultimo, requesting of me an 
exposition of my views on the questions of national policy now 
at issue between the political parties of the United States, has 
duly reached me. 

I must take occasion to say that many of my letters, ad- 
dressed to gentlemen in the United States in answer to similar 
inquiries, have already been made public, and I had greatly 
hoped that all persons interested had, by this time, obtained 
from them a sufficiently accurate knowledge of my views and 
desires in relation to this subject. As it appears, however, 
that such is not the case, I deem it proper, in reply to your 
letter, distinctly to repeat that I am not before the People of 
the United States as a candidate for the next Presidency. It 
is my great desire to return at the close of this war to the dis- 



t 

324 HIS D E C L A K A T IONS ON T 11 E SUBJECT. 

charge of those professional duties and to the enjoyment of 
those domestic pursuits from which I was called at its com-- 
mencement, and for which my tastes and education best fit 
me. 

I deem it but due to candour to state, at the same time, that, 
if I were called to the Presidential Chair by the general voice 
of the people, without regard to their political differences, 
I should deem it to be my duty to accept the office. But 
while I freely avow my attachment to the administrative 
policy of our early Presidents, I desire it to be understood that 
I cannot submit, even in thus accepting it, to the exaction of 
any other pledge as to the course I should pursue than that of 
discharging its functions to the best of my ability, and strictly 
in accordance with the requirements of the constitution. 

I have thus given you the circumstances under which only 
can I be induced to accept the high and responsible office of 
President of the United States. I need hardly add that I can- 
not in any case permit myself to be brought bef6re the people 
exclusively by any of the political parties that now so unfor- 
tunately divide our country, as their candidate for this office. 

It affords me great pleasure, in conclusion, fully to concur 
with you in your high and just estimate of the virtues, both 
of head and heart, of the distinguished citizens [Messrs. Clay, 
Webster, Adams, McDuffie, and Calhoun] mentioned in 
your letter. I have never yet exercised the privilege of voting ; 
but had I been called upon at the last Presidential election to do 
so, I should most certainly have cast my vote for Mr. Clay. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Z. Taylor, 
Major General U. S. Army, commanding. 

F. S. BnoNsox, M. D., Charleston, S. C. 

The concluding sentence of this letter sets at rest any doubt 
of Taylor's political principles, while it confirms unequivocally 
his former declarations to stand as a candidate for the President, 
if at all, independent of the obligations of a partizan. 

In the attempt to trace through the preceding pages an out- 



C O N C L U D I^J G REMARKS. 325 

line of the public career of General Taylor, it has been neces- 
sary to touch lightly many points, and to omit others wholly, 
which would serve to illustrate his character. Its prominent 
traits, however, are sufficiently revealed to prove it a union of 
rare moral worth and mental power, assured by a physical 
temperament of the happiest mould. In considering Taylor's 
fitness for the exigencies in which he has been tried, we find a 
singular weight and balance of qualities ; a vigorous constitu- 
tion to endure hardships; firm nerves to brave danger; quick 
perception, forecast, prudence, invention, decision, indepen- 
dence, fortitude, and integrity. And all these gifts are made 
useful by tireless industry, and graceful by genuine modesty. 
For the duties of a profession, adopted in the generous ardour 
of youth, he has foregone, in the sober maturity of years, the 
tranquillity of home, the endearments of kindred, the luxuries 
of affluence. When the war, which still demands his exertions, 
shall have ceased, whether his own inclination may lead him 
to the retirement of private life, or the nation's desire place 
him on the highest platform of public responsibility, his services 
cannot be the less gratefully remembered, nor his virtues the 
more faithfully proved. 



28* 



ANECDOTES 

OF 

GENERAL TAYLOR. 

Taylor's republican habits. 

The committee from New Orleans, which presented General Taylor a sword 
on behalf of their fellow-citizens, gave the following account of the interview: 
" We presented ourselves at the opening of one of the tents, before which wai 
standing a dragoon's horse, much used by hard service. Upon a camp-stool at 

our left sat General , in busy conversation with a hearty-looking old 

gentleman, sitting on a box, cushioned with an Arkansas blanket, dressed in 
Attakapas pantaloons and a linen roundabout, and remarkable for a bright flash- 
ing eye, a high forehead, a farmer look, and 'rough and ready' appearance. It 
is hardly necessary for us to say that this personage was General Taylor, the 
commanding hero of two of the most remarkable battles on record, and the man 
who, by his firmness and decision of character, has shed lustre upon the Ame- 
rican arms. 

» There was no pomp about his tent ; a couple of rough blue chests served 
for his table, upon which was strewn, in masterly confusion, a variety of official 
documents: a quiet-looking, citizen-dressed personage made his appearance upon 
hearing the significant call of ' Ben,' bearing, on a tin salver, a couple of black 
bottles and shining tumblers, arranged around an earthen pitcher of Rio Grande 
water. These refreshments were deposited upon a stool, and we 'helped our- 
selves,' by invitation. We bore to the general a complimentary gift from some 
of his fellow-citizens of New Orleans, which he declined receiving for the pre- 
sent ; giving at the same time a short but 'hard sense' lecture on the impropriety 
of naming children and places after men before they were dead, or of his re- 
ceiving a present for his services « before the campaign, so far as he was con- 
cerned, was finished.' 

" With the highest possible admiration of the republican simplicity of the 
manners and character of General Taylor, we bade him good-day, with a higher 
appreciation of our native land, for possessing such a man as a citizen, and of 
its institutions for moulding such a character." 



The following anecdote is told by a correspondent of the Pennsylvania In- 
quirer : " During the Florida campaign, a certain young officer, after receiving 
his commission, was ordered to join the army in that quarter. His first duty 
was, of course, to report himself to General Taylor. After a very tedious 
journey, however, through the woods, our officer arrived at a small shanty, 
called a tavern, about fifty miles from head-quarters, where he thought proper to 
stay three days. There were only two visitors there besides himself. One of 
them, an oldish, shabby-looking man, with a black hat, minus part of the crown, 
and a piece of (wine for a ribbon, was very inquisitive, and among other things 

(326) 



ANECDOTES OF TAYLOR. 

askod our officer what excuse he intended to make for his delay in reporting 
himself to the General. 

" ' Oh,' said the officer, « they say Taylor is a very easy old soul, and I can 
easily make up an excuse.' On going to bed that night, the officer asked the 
landlord who that impudent, inquisitive old fellow was 1 ' Why,' said the host, 
«dont you know General Taylor ?' About an hour afterwards, at midnight, the 
tramp of a horse's feet was heard, making quick tracks towards head-quarters." 



The extreme simplicity of General Taylor's habits has become proverbial ; 
but, like all human beings, if the old General was not proud of his dress, or of 
the pride and pomp of « glorious war," he had his weakness, and it displayed 
itself in his state carriage. This magnificent vehicle was one of the last pur- 
chases the old soldier made ere he started for the wars. It was none of these 
high-backed, four-horse, soft-cushioned, coat-of-arms panelled affairs, such as 
Martin Van Buren imported from England to ride in when he was President, 
but it was, in vulgar parlance, a Jersey wagon, and one of the ugliest and most in- 
convenient ones ever sent out from that sand-soil State. We have no doubt 
that this same wagon was kept on hand in some little country town until it was 
discovered that no one would buy it, and it was sent out to New Orleans to sell. 
The General looked at it, and it struck his fancy as one of the most luxuriant, 
strong axle-treed, hard-seated, low-backed, first-rate carriages that ever was 
made ; so he bought it, shipped it, and in due time landed it at Corpus Christi. 
It was evidently General Taylor's pet ; he kept it standing right up beside 
Ringgold and Duncan's batteries, as if he would have those sons of thunder 
blaze away at any body that did not say that it was the greatest carriage that 
ever was made. 

The old General was never seen in it. By many it was supposed that the 
top was so low that such a thing was impossible. When he started to Mata- 
moros from Corpus Christi, it was made the carrier of the old General's blue 
chest, and the celebrated overcoat that got wounded at Buena Vista. After the 
battles of the 8th and 9th, a change for two hours and fifty-seven minutes came 
over his feelings — he had read, no doubt, of " General Scott's splendid military 
carriage" — and the General came to the conclusion that he must put on a little 
grandeur, so he got into his military carriage, and started from Point Isabel to 
Matamoros, to complete his victories by driving Arista from that town. No 
record was ever made when he resumed his old gray, but long before half the 
distance was completed, a sick soldier was in the General's place, and he him- 
self was again on horseback. Nothing of an exciting nature occurred to the 
old "Jersey carryall" for a long time. It was duly dragged about, and stationed 
where its owner could see it taken care of and honoured. It went up to Mon- 
terey, and finally down to Victoria. When the General was ordered back from 
his march to Vera Cruz, the old wagon-top looked exceedingly surly, and its 
wheels screeched awfully. On this trip it met with a sad disaster. A drunken 
teamster run his baggage wagon into it, tore the hind wheels off, and otherwise 
laid it in ruins. Now the old General had philosophy enough to pocket, with- 
out repining, the orders that were so humiliating to his pride ; but he had not 
philosophy enough to pocket the destruction of his state carriage, so he rode up 
to the unfortunate teamster, and catching him by both ears, he shook the fellow's 
head violently, exclaiming « what did you do that for ? I brought it (the wagon) 
all the way from Corpus Christi !" The excitement soon passed away, the old 
General cast a lingering glance at the ruins of his pet, and left it to decay beside 
the road. 



328 ANECDOTES OF TAYLOR. 

Among the volunteers in the Florida campaign was a " gentleman's son" — 
a full private, who heartily sick, of rainy weather, mud, and no shelter, first 
went to his captain with his complaints, but meeting with no particular sym- 
pathy, resolved to have a talk with General Taylor himself. Arrived at the 
commander's quarters, the General was pointed out to him, but he was rather 
incredulous. "Thai old fellow General Taylor 1 Nonsense!" Satisfied, 
however, that such was even the case, he marched up, and rather patronizingly 
opened his business. 

"General Taylor, I believe." 

" Yes, sir." 

" Well, General, I'm devilish glad to see you — am, indeed." The General 
returned the civility. 

" General, you '11 excuse me, but since I 've been here I 've been doing all I 
could for you — have, indeed ; but the fact is, the accommodations are very bad 
— they are, indeed ; mud, sir ! bletged to lie down in it, actually ; and the fact 
is, General, I 'm a gentleman's son, and not used to it I" 

The General, no doubt strongly impressed with the fact of having a gentle- 
man's son in his army, expressed his regret that such annoyance should ever 
exist, under any circumstances, in a civilized army. 

» Well — but, General, what am I to dol" 

" Why, really, I don't know, unless you take my place." 

"Well, now, that's civil — 'tis, indeed. Of course don't mean to turn you 
out, but a few hours' sleep — a cot, or a bunk, or any thing, would be so refresh- 
ing! Your place — where is it, General 7" 

" Oh, just drop down — any where about here — any place about camp will 
answer !" 

The look which the " gentleman's son" gave the General was rather peculiar. 

"Well, no wonder they call you < Rough and Ready,' " said he; and, amid 
the smiles of all but "Rough and Ready" himself, the "gentleman's son" re- 
turned to take his chance of the weather. 



TAYLOR'S COURAGE AND DETERMINATION. 

"By way of illustrating an important characteristic of General Taylor, to 
wit, determination, I will briefly relate a scene that occurred on the battle- 
ground of Buena Vista, during the action of the 23d. At a time when the 
fortunes of the day seemed extremely problematical — when many of our side 
even despaired of success — the General took his position on a commanding 
height, overlooking the two armies. This was about three or perhaps four 
o'clock in the afternoon. The enemy, who had succeeded in gaining an advan- 
tageous position, made a fierce charge upon our column, and fought with a des- 
peration that seemed for a time to insure success to their arms. The struggle 
lasted for some time. All the while, General Taylor was a silent spectator, his 
countenance exhibiting the most anxious solicitude, alternating between hope 
and despondency. His staff, perceiving his perilous situation, (for he was ex- 
posed to the fire of the enemy,) approached him and implored him to retire. He 
heeded them not. His thoughts were intent upon victory or defeat. He knew 
not at this moment what the result would be. He felt that that engagement 
was to decide his fate. He had given all his orders and selected his position. 
If the day went against him he was irretrievably lost ; if for him, he could re- 
joice in common with his countrymen, at the triumphant success of our arms. 

"Such seemed to be his thoughts — his determination. And when he saw 
the enemy give way and retreat in the utmost confusion, he gave free vent to 



ANECDOTES OF TAYLOR. 329 

his pent-up feelings. His right leg was quickly disengaged from the pommel of 
the saddle, where it had remained during the whole of the fierce encounter — 
his arms, which were calmly folded over his breast, relaxed their hold — his feet 
fairly danced in the stirrups, and his whole body was in motion. It was a 
moment of the most exciting and intense interest. His face was suffused with 
tears. The day was won — the victory complete — his little army saved from the 
disgrace of a defeat, and he could not refrain from weeping for joy at what had 
seemed to so many, but a moment before, as an impossible result. Long may 
the noble and kind-hearted old hero live to enjoy the honours of his numerous 
and brilliant victories, and many other honours that a grateful country will ere 
long bestow upon him." — Lieutenant Corwin. 



Extract of a letter from a volunteer at Monterey: — "You may probably wish 
to know how a young soldier feels when he smells powder for the first time — 
I will tell you. At first I felt as though I should like to have been out of the party 

I felt decidedly 'queer,' and looked from one end of the battalion to the other 

to see if I could see any one run. Yes, I felt like running, I must acknow- 
ledge, but they all stood like men, and I could not bear the idea to be the first 
to run, and, therefore, kept on with the rest. The Tennesseeans were about ten 
yards in our advance, the Mississippians about the 6ame distance in our rear. 
You will therefore see, gentlemen, that I had to ' stand up to the rack, fodder or 
no fodder.' 

" At this moment an awful fire was opened on the Tennesseeans. They fell 
by scores, but the balance stood like veterans. We were fired upon by a cross 
fire from nine and twelve pounders, and a murderous discharge of small arms 
from the corner of streets, doors, windows, and tops of houses. 

" By this time, Colonel Watson was trying to get us ahead of the Tennes- 
seeans, (having applied for the advance, and received from General Taylor the 
promise of it,) and, while in the act of giving three cheers, was shot down. He 
was on our right, some twenty paces ahead of us. I saw him fall, and all ap- 
prehension now left me. I made an involuntary effort to get to him to afford 
him help, but was borne on by the pressure of the mass behind, and willingly 
yielded to it, impelled by a thirst for revenge that would have carried me through 
a storm of bullets or laid me out in Monterey. We were now within fifty 
yards of the wall, behind which the enemy were lying in perfect security, and 
at this moment General Taylor rode up in gallant style, accompanied by a young 
officer. 

" Now came the thrilling scene of all. A huge Tennesseean sung out ' silence, 
men — here comes Old Zack — three cheers for Old Zack !' Three tremendous 
cheers were now given, until 

'Heaven's broad arch rang back the sound.' 

I trembled for his safety, for I expected to see him fall every moment." 



A volunteer at Monterey thus mentions Taylor's calm bravery: — " Monterey 
is the strongest place naturally that I ever saw with the eye or in print. There 
is an open plain, three to four miles long, and four or five wide in front, except 
a range of hills, about forty feet high, behind which the town lies. In the rear, 
and on the right and left, the mountains back right up to it, and rise several 
hundred feet high abruptly and almost perpendicularly, while the only pass is 
through a mountain gorge directly in its centre. I was within ten feet of Gen- 



330 ANECDOTES OF TAYLOR. 

eral Taylor, in the town, on the 21st. He was as cool as a cucumber, and 
ordered us to pass into the city and break open the houses. God knows how 
any of us got out." t 

At the time General Taylor was conducting the Florida war against the Semi- 
noles, he became remarkable among the Indians for his singular disregard of 
danger. He never hesitated to move about unattended, and generally, when 
riding out on important business, he kept a mile or two ahead of his escort. No 
matter how many Indians were prowling about, the old General seemed uncon- 
scious that they would harm him, and often, when only armed parties could 
escape attack, General Taylor would trust himself alone under some wide- 
spreading tree in close proximity with the enemy, and thus circumstanced, he ♦ 
would eat his frugal meal, and if desirable indulge in a sound sleep. At the 
time the Indians were most troublesome to our troops, General Taylor announced 
his determination to go from Fort King to Tampa Bay, which journey would 
take him through nearly one hundred miles of hostile country. The jaunt was 
considered by every body as a most desperate adventure. The morning for 
starting came, when the General's travelling companions, Major Bliss and a 
young lieutenant, began to look wistfully around for the appearance of the 
escort. In due time, six dragoons, all saddled and bridled, made their appear- 
ance. There was a force to meet several thousand wily Seminoles, who filled 
up every nook and corner between Fort King and Tampa Bay ! After some 
hesitation, one of the General's friends suggested that the escort was not suffi- 
ciently strong, and that a requisition should be made for a greater force. The 
General examined the appearance of the six dragoons attentively for a moment, 
and then remarked if the number was not sufficient, two more might be added 
to it. 

Colonel Jefferson Davis, who, from the connection existing, is not very likely 
to be influenced by other than true and proper motives, is represented by the 
New Orleans papers as having used the following language concerning General 
Taylor : — After complimenting his fellow companions from other States, he for 
a moment dwelt upon the virtues of the old hero who had led them all to vic- 
tory, and to whom they looked up as children to a parent. Colonel Davis said 
that General Taylor had shown himself the distinguished soldier of the age, yet 
he was equally remarkable for his kindness of heart and simplicity of habits, 
his strong judgment and excellent sense. He alluded to the fact that General 
Taylor had shared the humblest soldier's fortune in the campaign; that he had 
in every thing identified himself with his troops. He alluded to that hour of 
the battle of Buena Vista, when the day seemed, if not lost, to be going against 
our arms, when General Taylor, amidst the thickest of the iron hail, rode upon 
the plateau, and calmly surveyed the scene. Vast as were the consequences of 
that hour, he appeared to fear no danger, expect no harm. From that moment, 
said Colonel Davis, the volunteers felt assured of victory. The presence of that 
old man inspired a courage that could not l>e overcome; and not a soldier pre- 
sent, said he, (pointing to the regiment before him,) but felt then willing to die 
rather than yield an inch. It was not, continued Colonel Davis, alone on the 
battle-field that we learned to love General Taylor. The excitement of the car- 
nage over, the same soul that could remain unmoved when his friends were fall- 
ing like leaves around him, who could look unblanched upon the front of the 
thundering artillery, became the poor soldier's most sympathizing friend ; and 
the eye, so stern in battle, was as mild as the tender-hearted matron's." 



ANECDOTES OF TAYLOR. 331 

tatlor's humanity and good nature. 
A correspondent of the Montgomery (Alabama) Journal, says that General 
Taylor lately had occasion to visit Point Isabel, after the battle of Buena Vista, 
and the captain of the steamboat had reserved a suite of state-rooms for the Gen- 
eral's accommodation. There were several sick and wounded volunteers on the 
boat, en route for New Orleans, who had to take the wayfare incident to a 
crowded boat, and particularly so on this occasion. General Taylor saw all this, 
and at once ordered these men to be placed in his state-rooms, and proper atten- 
tion paid them. It was rather a cold, rainy day when this occurred. The deck 
bands and many others on the boat did not know General Taylor. The wind 
blew high, and the firemen had raised a sail in front of the boilers to protect 
themselves from the rain, and under this sail there were some old mattrasses; 
here General Taylor laid down and went to sleep. At supper time great inqui- 
ries were made for the General, and servants sent off to look him up. But he 
could not be found ! At last some one going below, inquired of a fireman if he 
had seen any thing of such and such a man — the fireman said no, but added, 
" there is a clever old fellow asleep there under the sail, in front of the fire !" 
It was General Taylor. Yes, sweet indeed, must have been the sleep of such 
a man, who has the heart to change places with the poor sick soldier, as General 
Taylor did on this occasion ; such humanity stands out in bold relief, and greatly 
mitigate the evils incident to war. 

The following, from the Picayune, speaks for itself: — "The parting scene 
between the Mississippi Regiment and General Taylor, we are told, was affect- 
ing in the extreme. As the men marched by him to return to their homes, 
overpowered with a recollection of the high deeds which had endeared them to 
him, and with their demonstrations of respect and affection, he attempted in 
vain to address them. With tears streaming down his furrowed cheeks, all he 
could say was, > Go on boys — go on — I can't speak !' " 



"J. E. D.," the Monterey correspondent of the New Orleans Picayune, tells 
the following story : 

" Did you ever see a collection of men that could not turn out a specimen of 
what is generally termed ' a character V If you ever did, you can, to make use 
of a vulgarism, ' beat my time' considerably, for I never did, and what is more, 
never expect to. The next door to my quarters a company of Virginia volun- 
teers are stationed, and as they turn out to roll-call and drill I have a good op- 
portunity of observing them. I had noticed among the men a short, thick-set 
Irishman, whose head seemed to have settled down between his shoulders a trifle 
too far to permit him to sit as a model for a sculptor, although he will answer 
very well for a soldier. There was something so odd about his appearance and 
jn his manner of performing the manual, that I was convinced he was « a cha- 
racter,' and upon expressing my belief of that fact, I discovered that I was not 
far wrong, the following anecdote being related of him : 

" « Plaze sir,' said the soldier, touching his hat to his captain, « whin will we 
be paid off, sir?' < In a few days, Patrick,' replied the officer. ' Yis, sir,' con- 
tinued Pat, ' and whin, sir, will we be after Santy Anny, the blackguard V 
'That's more than lean tell you, Patrick ; it's rather hard to tell when or 
where he will show himself,' replied the officer. < Yis, sir, thank you kindly, 
sir, we'll be paid off in a few days any ways, however,' said Pat, as he touched 
his hat again and retired. In a few days he appeared again and opened the 



332 ANECDOTES OF TAYLOR. 

conversation with — ' If ye plaze, sir, divil the copper we have been paid yet' 
sir.' ' I know it, Patrick,' was the reply of the officer, ■ but I can't help it ; 
they are waiting for the paymaster to arrive.' ' Oh, it's the paymasther we're 
a waitin' for, is it ! and what the divil 's the excuse he has for not bein' here, 
when he's wanted ! What's the use of a paymasther if he isn't on the spot 
when he 's wanted !' said Pat, beginning to wax indignant at having to wait so 
long for his < tin.' 

" The circumstance caused him much uneasiness, and, after cogitating the 
matter over and over, he was struck with a luminous idea, and announced to 
his comrades that he'd have his money before you could say 'thread on my 
coat.' One morning immediately after breakfast, off posted Pat to General Tay- 
lor's camp, and on approaching his tent inquired of a soldier standing by where 
the General's 'shanty' was. 'That's his tent,' said the sentinel, pointing out 
the General's quarters. 'And is that the Gineral's tent!' said Pat, taking off 
his hat and rubbing his hand over his hair, which had been cut to the degree of 
shortness peculiar to natives of Erin's green isle. 'And where 's the Gineral's 
old grey horse!' inquired Pat. 'There,' replied the soldier, indicating the spot 
where the old horse stood lazily whisking the flies away with his tail. 'And is 
that the old horse!' again inquired the sprig of Erin, with great awe, ' an' where, 
if you plaze sir, is the old gintleman, himself!' continued Pat. ' There he sits 
under that awning,' answered the soldier. ' What,' exclaimed Pat, in almost a 
whisper, and in a tone amounting to reverence, 'an' is this the old gintleman!' 
« Yes,' said the soldier, walking away, ' that 's General Taylor.' After gazing 
upon the' war-worn veteran' in silent admiration for a while, he at last mustered 
sufficient courage to approach him. • I beg your pardon, Gineral, but you'll 
plaze to excuse the bit of liberty I 'm taking in presuming to call on your honour, 
but if ye plaze, sir, I came on a little matther of business, bein' as I thought 
maybe you might be afther helpin' us out of a little bit of a scrape.' 

" « Well,' said the General kindly, 'what is the trouble, and what do you wish !' 
"•If you plaze, sir, I 'd like to know when the hands will be paid off, sir!' 
"' When the hands will be paid off!' repeated the General, a little puzzled. 
" « Yis, sir, if ye plaze to have the goodness. The hands have had divil the 
tint of wages since they 've been in the country.' 

<" Oh, I understand, you 're a volunteer, and wish to know when you'll be 
paid off. Well, my good fellow, you must apply to your company officers for 
that information, I have nothing to do with it.' 

" ' Bcggin' your pardon, sir, I did ax the boss about it, but he didn't give me 
no sort of satisfaction about it, and so I told the other hands I 'd fix it ; an' bein' 
as you're the head boss, I thought I 'd be comin' over here to see if you could- 
n't give us some satisfaction.' 

" The ' head boss' being unable to relieve the anxiety of Pat, the latter retired 
to the ' other hands,' having the satisfaction of saying that although he had failed 
in the object of his mission, he had seen the 'head boss,' his 'shanty,' and the 
old gray horse,' which was ' glory enough for one day.' " 



THE END. 



LIBRARY OF CON3RESS 



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